Kiss Me Till I Die
by Snowberryxoxo
Summary: People you drain for blood are supposed to stay dead, right? They're not supposed to serve you tea the following day and being able to resist compulsion... Or so Kol thought until he attempted killing the 17-year-old Beth, who seems to be able to resist more than just his compulsion. {Kol/OC, Partly AH}
1. Vampire Issue

**Kiss Me Till I Die**

**Disclaimer: _(Sadly) I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any of the show or books' characters, but if I did... *fantasizes about what would happen then* Oh, whoops, sorry!_**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 1:

Why on Earth did I sneak out to this party?

The police constantly warned the students of Mystic Falls about having parties near or in the woods, because of the animal attacks that had been happening all year.

My father would without a doubt kill me when he discovered I wasn't lying in my bed right now.

Perhaps he'd even ground me after he'd killed me for the sole fact that some of the attendees were smoking pot at the lake while others were skinny dipping under the influence of alcohol.

I barely remembered why I risked my freedom to go to this party tonight.

Well, I did until I noticed the gorgeous footballer Kevin, who leaned casually against a tree, speaking to a cheerleader named Katie, whom I disliked more than Monday mornings.

And I loathed Monday mornings!

Kevin and I used to be friends back in Junior High, spending nearly every day of the week together doing the most ridiculous things.

Then puberty hit him and we started in High School where he became popular and joined the football team, which left me on my own.

I did have new best friends and was neither popular or an outsider, but I always missed spending time with him and realized I had a crush on him.

Hopefully, I could remind him of the good old times tonight and perhaps… perhaps, he might actually feel the same way towards me.

I downed my second beer to boost my confidence and ran my fingers through my long, bright auburn hair, feeling as if my heart would burst out of my chest any minute now.

Kevin finished his conversation with the cheerleader and went to get another beer for himself, so I eyed the opportunity and hurried towards him.

He seemed to be halfway wasted in the way his messy brown hair hung in his brown eyes and his cheeks were crimson from having consumed so much alcohol.

"Hey, Kev," I greeted shyly, biting nervously down into my bottom lip. "Nice party, huh?"

"Yeah, sure is," he said, turning to face me. "I thought your father wouldn't let you go to parties…"

"Oh, he doesn't, but I snuck out of the house. I, err… came because I partly wanted to talk with you about–"

"_Kevin, baby! You promised me you'd show me your abs,_" Katie shouted, giggling like the bitchy bimbo she was. "_Don't waste your time with that loser._"

Ah, yes. Katie's favorite nickname for me.

I never truly understood why she disliked me so much, but I guessed it was partly because my father had closed down several of her parties and spoken to her parents about her serving alcohol to minors.

And I may or may not have called her a spoiled bitch once…

Kevin abandoned me without as much as defending me, shattering my hope of him being a good guy beneath his façade.

I felt defeated, but not surprised by the outcome of tonight's plans.

To rub salt in my wound, Katie even locked lips with Kevin right in front of me, causing me to feel a twinge in my heart.

Leaving the party with another bottle of beer, I decided to head home and that was more than a little difficult in this dark and eerie forest.

Despite being almost 18 years old, I still feared the dark a little due to having watched excessively many frightening horror films.

It wasn't so much the dark that frightened me, but more the fear of what was hiding in the dark.

Luckily, my cell phone was able to light up most of the paths with its flashlight, so my fear was diminished a little for now.

I walked in utter silence for several minutes when I realized I'd made a wrong turn and turned around to return.

My heart skipped a beat as my eyes fell on the dark outline of a man, who stood at least 25 feet away from me.

His face was completely consumed by the shadows of the trees, but I noticed that he wore old fashion clothes from what appeared to be the 20th century.

His clothes were tattered and stained with blood, and he seemed weak, so I ran towards him to see if he was injured.

Being only five feet away from him, I soon regretted my decision though, because he bared a pair of razor sharp fangs and a web of visible veins surrounded his dark red eyes.

Gulping down nervously, I convinced myself that it was merely a realistic vampire costume and the blood on him was probably unreal.

"Oh, um… are you hurt?" I asked to be certain, my heart racing inside my chest.

He raised a brown eyebrow and stepped forward gracefully, eyeing me as if I were a piece of bloody meat he wanted to sink his teeth into tonight.

Oh, shit.

"I don't remember seeing you around here before… Are you new in town?" I took a deep breath to remain calm and hoped I could distract him.

Oh my God… Was I really distracting a possibly real vampire?

"You could say that," he replied with an English accent. "I couldn't help but notice your pretty little neck from afar. Quite frankly, I'm starving."

His lip twitched and in the blink of an eye, he was suddenly on top of me, baring my vulnerable neck to his sharp fangs.

I screamed loudly just before his fangs sunk deep into my flesh, piercing my artery painfully and muffling my scream.

In the first couple of minutes, I fought back as hard as I could and attempted comprehending the fact that I was being drained for blood by a real vampire.

However, the major loss of blood weakened me quickly and before I knew it, I sensed my heart giving up beating.

My mind became consumed by darkness and I knew this was the end of my life.

I half-expected seeing a bright light at the end of a tunnel, but the world I was in was void of light and cold.

Unable to move my body, I merely stood in the darkness and waited for something to happen to me – anything at all.

As time passed, I began regaining the ability to move and sensed that I was lying on the hard ground somewhere.

The scent of daffodils and grass was the first thing I became aware of.

I awoke with a gasp as if someone had sent a shockwave through my body and felt a bright light blinding my eyes, so I quickly rolled over to lie on my back.

Where was I? In Heaven?

Blinking a few times, I noticed that my hands and family ring was covered in dirt and blood, making me consider the possibility that I survived the attack somehow.

I stood up carefully and groaned, feeling sore in my healed neck and lightheaded.

My clothes were bloody and covered in dirt as well, but other than that, I appeared to be fine. I shook my head several times and glanced around, finding the right path back to town.

The sun was only beginning to rise over the horizon, so I still had time to hurry home and take a shower before my father noticed I'd been gone.

Unless… he already knew and was looking for me right now.

I staggered home as fast as I could and snuck in through my bedroom window, running in to the bathroom to take a shower immediately and wash my stained clothes.

Surviving a vampire attack was one thing, but getting caught being out late and drinking was worse with a father like mine.

He used to be in the army for many years and became a police officer after meeting and falling in love with my mother, who lived in Mystic Falls.

My mother worked as a kindergarten teacher, so she was a bit more lenient and tried convincing my father into letting me being a teenager.

Jesus Christ… what was I going to do about this vampire issue?

If animals weren't behind the attacks and vampires were, then I needed to warn people and they'd call me crazy.

How did I even survive the attack? I wasn't a professional, but I was pretty sure I died for a moment!

I took a deep breath and tried cleaning my family ring without scratching it.

The beautiful oval amber with a silver phoenix in the middle and it'd been passed down through generations in my mother's side of the family.

My brothers had one as well, which they wouldn't leave the house without.

Fully clean and void of any evidence of the night before, I stepped out of the bathroom and nearly ran into my father.

"We need to talk," he said, sounding displeased. "You're in big trouble, Beth. Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen in five minutes."

I groaned internally and cussed under my breath as he walked downstairs to drink his daily morning coffee.

I towel dried my body and hair, and pulled a pair of shorts and blue t-shirt on before running downstairs to meet my fate.

If I was lucky, I would only be grounded for two weeks or so, but I doubted it would happen.

Dad sat silently at the dinner table and sipped his coffee while Mom cooked breakfast for us, singing along to a song that played on the radio.

"Bethany Marie Dawson, mind telling me why you snuck out of your bedroom and came home at five in the morning?" he asked, showing no emotion on his face.

"I… went to a party in the woods and was on my way home around midnight, but…" _I was attacked by a vampire and somehow survived it. If I say that they'll know I'm lying for sure,_ I thought.

"But what? Do tell me why my 17-year-old daughter returned home from a party when I've specifically told her several times not to go to any parties – and especially not in the woods!"

Sighing heavily, I decided that it was easier if I told them a little lie.

"An animal attacked me. One moment I was alone and the next, a vicious beast was trying to kill me. I must've passed out, because I woke up in the woods alone."

My mother stopped singing instantly and stared at me with wide concerned eyes.

"An animal attacked you? Are you okay, Beth?" she asked worriedly, rushing to me to examine my body.

The second her blue eyes fell on my hands, she sighed of relief and embraced me tightly while my father remained quiet.

"Beth, you need to stay away from the woods. It's dangerous for a young girl to go alone. Please eat and drink something. You must be exhausted," she said, rushing back to the kitchen to get something for me.

She returned with a glass of orange juice and toast with Nutella on top, watching me worriedly until I started eating and drinking.

"Even though you were attacked, then you're still grounded for a month for leaving the house," Dad said, watching me as well.

I groaned aloud this time and finished eating breakfast before heading to the Grill to work.

One of the waitresses were ill, so I'd offered to take her morning shift and after the night I'd had, I needed to distract myself with something.

My Saturday morning was slow and tedious with only a few customers whereas most of them were seniors or families.

The Grill livened up a bit more around noon and among the customers were students with hangovers, which sadly included Kevin.

I reluctantly approached him to take his orders and tried faking a smile on my lips.

"What can I get for you, sir?" I asked politely.

Kevin glanced up from the menu and his eyes widened slightly, because he probably didn't expect to see me today.

"Beth, about what Katie said…" he started.

"I don't care about what Katie says to me. I know she hates me," I interrupted. "Now what can I get you? Coffee?"

He nodded and sighed heavily. "What did you want to tell me last night?"

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Anything else?"

Shaking his head, he opened his mouth to say something, but I abandoned him at his table and went to find some fresh coffee.

Of course, it still hurt that he would treat me like that after having been best friends with me for so many years.

I tried pushing the heartache away and focused on doing my job, but as I walked back towards Kevin, I noticed someone familiar stepping into the Grill.

The vampire.

He wore modern clothes now and no longer had red eyes, but dark brown ones that matched his light brown hair.

In the daylight, he actually appeared like any other young man, but I knew better than to trust my eyes and realized that vampires weren't easy to spot.

This one could walk in the sunlight and had a perfect set of teeth that hid his true nature.

Stopping dead in my tracks in shock of seeing him, he noticed me as well and a look of bewilderment passed his face as if he wasn't expecting to see me.

_Just act normal and pretend he isn't there,_ I thought and continued walking towards Kevin with his coffee. _He's not there, he's not there, he's not there…_

Despite convincing my brain of this, my heart was harder to convince and kept pounding fast inside my chest.

I handed Kevin his coffee and glanced at the vampire, seeing that he'd taken a seat at a table near the pool table.

"Bethany, I know we haven't spent any time together in a while, but it's just–"

"Just you became popular and suddenly I wasn't good enough entertainment for you anymore? Oh, I know. Bye, Kevin."

I left his table again and walked up to my colleague and friend Matt Donovan as he was cleaning a vacant table.

"Matt, please tell me you've got interesting news," I whined. "I've had a shitty night and morning."

"Why? What happened?" Matt asked worriedly.

"You don't wanna know. Seriously. But to make a long story short, then I'm never going to a party in the woods. Ever," I replied. "I–"

"Bethany, there's a customer waiting for you," our manager said grumpily. "I don't pay you to chitchat with your friends."

I apologized and approached the vampire's table reluctantly, feeling the pace of my heartbeat increasing rapidly the closer I got to him.

"What can I get for you, sir?" I asked nervously.

"Sir? I see that manners haven't completely vanished in this century," he answered and flashed a devilish smirk. "Even for young women I killed last night."

Killed? What! But that couldn't be true, because I was still here…

"I don't know what you're talking about." I figured lying would save me from being killed again by this demonic man.

"Oh, I think you do." He leaned closer to me and fixated his gaze on mine. "Tell me how you did it…" He glanced at my nametag and grinned. "… Bethany."

"I don't know what kind of vampire you are, but I'm not telling you anything. Leave me alone or I'll–"

He seemed surprised by my reply, but the smirk remained on his lips. "You'll what? Tell everyone a big bad vampire is in town? Be a sweetheart and get me a cup of tea."

Winking flirtatiously, he leaned back in his seat and watched me intently. I gulped nervously again and felt like I was going to pass out.

_Don't let him scare you. Maybe he wants you to be scared,_ I thought.

Nodding to myself, I put on a brave face as I returned with the tea and pretended that he was nothing but a human douche bag.

"Here's your tea, _dick_," I said politely and 'accidentally' spilled the tea on his face. "Enjoy."

The smirk on his lips was gone and replaced with a frightening snarl, but I refused to let myself be intimidated by a freakin' vampire.

Surely, there was a way to stop this vampire before he tried killing me again.

* * *

**A/N: 'Ello! I hope my friend *coughs* Beth *coughs* enjoyed the first chapter of this story and that you did as well.**

**Depending on how well it's received, I'll upload new chapters more frequently except for between August 12 to 19 where I'm travelling. **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	2. Dancing, Cocktails, and Celebration

**A/N: ****Thanks for the amazing reviews!**

****** I'll begin updating more frequently until August 12 where I'll be having a 1 week break. **

******~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 2:

"Bethany! There's a letter for you!" Mom shouted downstairs.

I cringed at the sound of my full name, because I preferred being called 'Beth' or something else that sounded less… babyish.

Stepping out of my bed, I took a break from writing an upcoming essay in English to figure out who'd sent me a letter and why.

I rarely received any letters and when I did, it was mostly from my older relatives.

The letter was left on the table along with some letters for my father from the bank, so I opened it and half-expected seeing an early birthday card from my grandmother.

She always sent them late or early every year.

Oddly enough, she was always able to remember sending them at the right time whenever my brothers had a birthday coming up.

However, it wasn't a birthday card, but a beautifully written invitation that smelled sweet like red roses.

_Please join the Mikaelson Family_

_This evening at seven o'clock_

_For dancing, cocktails, & celebration_

Um… okay, I wasn't prepared for this to happen. I'd been invited to several parties before, but never a fancy ball that required me wearing an expensive dress I didn't own.

I turned the invitation around to see if there was more and noticed a message handwritten on the backside with a pen.

_Save me a dance, my little phoenix._

~ _K._

K? Who in the world was K? And why was he calling me a… oh, right.

The obnoxious vampire who apparently killed me last week.

I'd spent a week trying to push the memory of him out of my head and now the memory was back, seared into my mind.

"Who's the letter from, honey?" Mom asked curiously.

"An idiot I met last week. Apparently, his family is hosting a ball, but I'm not going even if I wasn't grounded," I answered. "When will Mark and Danny visit us?"

Currently, my older twin brothers were travelling around Europe, exploring the world and meeting exciting new people.

I envied them and their adventurous side, hoping I could join them one day.

"Are you sure you don't want to go? We rarely have these types of balls in Mystic Falls," Mom asked, reading the invitation. "Idiot or not, it could be fun."

"Is this your way of getting me out of the house, so you can have a romantic night with Dad?"

She'd done it before, so it wouldn't surprise me if this was another attempt to make me social.

"Yes, Beth. It is." My mother laughed and embraced me. "I do want you to go out and have fun. You're almost an adult and should enjoy your adolescence."

"I guess. But I still don't have a dress for the occasion."

"Hmm… I have an idea. If you go buy groceries for me, then there'll be something special waiting for you when you get home."

Ohh, I did enjoy surprises and if I went, I could try avoiding K Mikaelson… somehow.

Leaving the house, I walked to the stores to buy everything my mother needed for the romantic dinner tonight along with a few other things.

The grocery shopping went undisturbed by a certain vampire, but knowing that he'd figured out where I live, I kept looking over my shoulder to check if he was following me.

Hopefully, my parents wouldn't come in harm's way as revenge for infuriating him in the Grill.

Speaking of my parents, then both of them were waiting in the living room with an old box I suspected my mother retrieved from the attic.

I placed the groceries on the kitchen table and went to see what all the fuss was about, watching my mom taking out a beautiful and elegant ball dress.

It seemed to be from perhaps the early 90s and must've cost a lot, because it looked absolutely stunning. I allowed my fingertips to brush over the elaborate adornments.

The burgundy red and black dress was perfect in my eyes, but I dreaded it would be too tight or too long when I pulled it on.

"I wore it at my first ball. I think it will suit you perfectly as it did with me," Mom said and smiled.

I'd inherited her hair color and bright blue eyes, so perhaps I would be able to pull it off perfectly like my mother did once.

I pulled my mother in for a tight hug and thanked her for letting me borrow her ball dress.

She helped me getting into the dress since I only had a few hours to get ready and tried making it fit me as perfectly as she could.

"I could just sit in my room all night, you know," I said, feeling anxious about going to the ball. "I'll stay in my room, I promise. Or I could go to the Grill…"

"No, Bethany. You're going to this ball and having a fun night out. Why are you so anxious? Is this about the boy, who invited you?"

"… Did you do something different with your hair, Mom? I really like it," I tried changing the topic of the conversation, but she wasn't falling for it. "Okay, yes it is."

"Then tell him you're not interested."

Oh, how I wished it was that simple.

I stayed quiet as she curled my hair and pulled it up in a sophisticated bun, leaving only a few curly locks hanging loose.

Taking a deep breath, I walked downstairs in a pair of black pumps, trying appear graceful in this big dress.

My father stood by the end of the stairs and snapped a picture of me without warning me.

"Whoa! Hold up! Wait a minute. Who gave you permission to do that?" I asked accusingly.

"I need permission to take pictures of my daughter before her first ball?" Dad replied, taking another picture to annoy me.

God, why did parents have to be so embarrassing?

Flailing wildly, I hurried into the kitchen to avoid him and grabbed the car keys. I still wasn't sure if I would be able to drive a car in this dress, but I needed to keep my parents away from the vampire.

"Wait, where's your ring?" Mom asked when she noticed me.

"I left it in my room. It doesn't really match my dress," I answered.

"You need to wear it, Beth. It's important." She hurried upstairs to fetch it for me and watched me like a hawk as I slipped it back on.

"Okay… I'll be back before midnight. Behave while I'm gone, you two." I made the _I'm-watching-you_ signal to them and headed out to the car, squeezing myself inside it.

Managing to get inside, I waved my parents goodbye and attempted finding the home of the Mikaelson Family.

Music, chattering and laughter filled my ears when I reached a stunning mansion near the woods that was lit up beautifully both inside and outside.

Some were drinking outside or having a cigarette while the newly arriving guests entered the grand entrance to greet the other attendees.

All of the founding families were present along with the families of those who were in the Town Council.

My mother used to be in the council, but decided to let someone else take her spot, because she had fallout with one of the members.

Only my father knew the reason behind why they argued and whom she argued with.

After spending five minutes trying to get out of the car, I approached the entrance and noticed Elena Gilbert from my History class, being escorted by the two Salvatore brothers.

Something strange was going on between the three of them, but I did not intend to try to figure out what it was.

It was none of my business anyway.

I entered the elegantly decorated mansion and was in awe of how beautiful everything was. It was almost as if the mansion was built for a duke rather than a wealthy family.

Then again, if this vampire was a part of the family, then his family members might be vampires as well.

Who knew how old they truly were?

"_Amazed?_" a familiar voice said beside me.

I turned and narrowed my eyes on the vampire, remembering how he stared hungrily at me the night he supposedly killed me.

"It's okay," I said, trying to sound unfazed. "I didn't come because you invited me, just for the record. And how did you even know where I live? That's seriously stalker-behavior."

He chuckled and offered me his hand, but I refused to touch him. "I never had the opportunity to properly introduce myself to you, Miss Dawson. My name is Kol Mikaelson."

Kol? Well, at least now I knew what the K stood for.

He ran his fingers through his untamable dark hair and had an air of danger around him that made the devilish glint in his eyes darker.

Kol Mikaelson had _evil_ written all over him and was a person I needed to get far away from.

"I think you and I should start with a clean slate, yes?" he suggested.

"Well, _Kol_, you're an asshole for killing me and need to learn some manners before I'll talk with you," I noticed Matt standing near the grandeur stairwell and found an excuse to leave. "Excuse me, but I need to speak with a friend of mine."

Kol opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't bother waiting and hurried towards Matt.

"Matthew! Buddy," I said, smiling widely. "You got an invite too?"

"Yes, from Rebekah. And you?" he replied curiously.

So Rebekah was a part of the Mikaelson family…

I should've figured with the way she acted in school and always seemed to get whatever she wanted.

"I got one from her douche bag of a brother Kol. God, that man bothers me." I nodded in Kol's direction and rolled my eyes when I noticed Kol was flirting blatantly with some women.

"You should stay away from him, Beth. He's bad news. Trust me." Matt noticed one of his close friends and went to speak with them, so I went sightseeing around the mansion.

It appeared large enough for me to get lost in it, but fortunately, for me the crowd of people would make it easier for me to hide from Kol.

Or so I thought until I nearly walked into Kol again near the ballroom.

"Stop stalking me! Do you honestly think I'll want to befriend a vampire?" I asked, resisting the urge to slap that smug smirk off his face.

"Stalking you? I think it's the other way around. But then again… I don't blame you. I am very irresistible," he replied arrogantly. "Are you on vervain tonight?"

I frowned. "Am I on what? I'm not on anything and believe me – it's not difficult to resist you."

Kol laughed and suddenly leaned inappropriately close to me, his hand sneaking around my waist and causing my heart to beat faster.

"Bethany, I'm not your enemy. I invited you for a reason and hope you will join me for a dance later. I feel like we ought to know each other better."

"Pfft, sure. And by getting to know each other, you mean 'sexually harassing me'?"

A dark and playful smirked formed on his lips and he shook his head. "No, although that does sound entertaining. Perhaps later? Oh, how impolite of me… would you like a drink?"

He picked up a glass of bubbling champagne from a table nearby and offered me one, but I shook my head. "I'm driving tonight and I wouldn't dance with you even if I was drunk."

I pushed his hand off my waist and felt his hand grasp my wrist as I turned around to leave. He grabbed my hand and smirked charmingly as he leaned down to press his lips to it.

"I expect to see you in the ballroom soon, Miss Dawson. It's a pleasure to see you here and in such a stunning dress."

Snorting, I withdrew my hand and watched him join the rest of his siblings on the stairwell, because it was time for his family to welcome the many guests.

I found it uncomfortable that Kol stared at me during the speech by his older brother and contemplated on whether to hide.

He couldn't force me into dancing with him, right?

After his brother announced that it was time for the dance, Kol approached me with that frustrating smug smirk on his lips.

He bowed politely and offered me his hand to take, so he could escort me into the ballroom, making me scrunch up my nose.

"What part of 'I'm not dancing with you', didn't you get?" I asked angrily.

"How about I kill your beloved parents if you don't dance with me?" he replied, smiling sinisterly. "I hardly believe they will return the way you did."

I groaned and reluctantly decided to be his dance partner tonight.

Hearing the music starting, I tried following the movements of the others, because I wasn't familiar with the type of ballroom dancing they did.

I wasn't much of a dancer in general, but I didn't care if I accidentally stepped on Kol's feet tonight.

"My God, you are horrible at this," Kol commented, twirling me around. "Don't girls know how to dance in this century?"

"Oh, shut up! You sound like you were pulled out of the 20th century. Speaking of, why were you wearing old fashion clothes the night you _savagely_ killed me?" I retorted.

Kol rolled his eyes. "Must you bring that up constantly? I wore the clothes, because I was neutralized for a century and stored up in a coffin by my brother Klaus. Hence, my appetite the night we met."

Wait, what? Jeez, my life was becoming freakier and freakier.

"So your entire family is vampires?" My heart was racing again and from the look on his face, I guessed that he could sense it.

"Don't be scared, little birdie. We won't bite you… hard. Now will you tell me how you survived my attack?"

I cussed under my breath and 'accidentally' stepped on his foot. "I don't know, okay? I honestly don't know. One minute I was dead and then I woke up. Satisfied?"

Kol twirled me around one more time and had he not killed me a week ago, I would've thought he was a pretty good dancer despite his exasperating personality.

His dark eyes were drawing me in like a moth to a flame, but I was aware of the consequences of getting too close to him.

"Have you ever heard of resurrection rings?" he asked curiously.

"Resurrection-what? I–"

My body was twirled around again and this time I changed dance partner, ending up with one of Kol's older brothers.

"I apologize on behalf of my brother, Kol. I overheard what he did to you and assure you that it won't happen again," his brother said politely. "My name is Elijah. Do you know what we are?"

"I do, yes. I won't tell anyone though. Not that anyone would believe me anyway," I replied and sighed. "So all of you are truly vampires?"

"Indeed. Except for my mother who is a witch. We merely want to live peacefully here, but Kol… he can be impulsive at times."

"Oh, I've noticed. Your brother needs to be on a leash."

Elijah glanced at his younger brother, who looked very much like him, and appeared concerned about something.

"I will have a word with him after this dance. Don't worry, Miss Dawson."

He twirled me around as well and the dance continued until I ended up with Kol again, who made no effort to behave like a gentleman.

Several times, I needed to prevent his hand from moving too low.

"I believe your beautiful ring is a resurrection ring," he said, continuing where we left off. "I've heard about them, but never seen it being used."

My family ring brought me back to life? It would explain my mother's behavior and the fact that my brothers never took them off, but…

That would mean my parents and brothers knew vampires existed?

And they'd deliberately kept it a secret from me in all these years.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	3. It's Complicated

**A/N: 'Ello again my lovely readers!**

**Thanks for reviewing and giving me feedback, and don't be scared to give me criticism as I do read each and every review and try learning from them.**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 3:

"Are you alright?" Matt asked worriedly, walking out on the balcony to me.

Standing alone on the peaceful and beautiful balcony, I'd attempted wrapping my head around the truths I'd unveiled tonight.

There was a possibility that my ring could bring me back to life and my parents were aware of this along with the fact that vampires existed.

Why else would they feel the need to give us this ring?

Were my parents even having a romantic night or was it an excuse to do something else… something related to the supernatural?

"I don't know. I've discovered some things that have been kept a secret to me," I said solemnly.

Even though Matt and I were merely colleagues, we often spoke about our private life and helped each other out with dilemmas, but I was sure he couldn't help me with this one.

"What do you mean? Is this about Kol?" He eyed me suspiciously and seemed anxious for some reason.

"No, it's my family… It's complicated. Very complicated."

I heard him let out a sigh of relief and felt his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. "You don't have to tell me. I know family problems can be complicated sometimes."

A smile finally formed on my lips tonight and I leaned against the ornate balustrade, wondering why he and Caroline weren't together anymore.

They seemed like a cute couple and Caroline wasn't nearly as bossy all the time.

"How did it go with you and Rebekah? I noticed you danced with her," I said, enjoying the normal conversation with him.

After discovering so much, a little normality made my worries disappear for a moment.

"It went… well," he replied, scratching his head awkwardly. "I mean as well as it can be with someone like her."

I laughed because I didn't fail to notice the apprehension in his voice.

Clearly, Rebekah was bothering him as much as Kol was bothering me and they both needed to understand that they couldn't always get what they wanted.

"_Well, hello there,_" Kol said, walking outside to us. "Oh, was I interrupting anything?"

_Yes, you smug bastard, _I thought. _You ruined a perfectly normal moment._

"No, we were just talking. What do you want?" I asked a little too coldly.

Matt noticed the coldness in my voice and seemed on guard around Kol as if he dreaded something bad would happen soon.

"I thought I'd introduce myself to your boyfriend. I'm Kol Mikaelson," he replied, offering his hand to Matt.

"I'm Matt Donovan," Matt greeted, shaking his hand. "And I'm not her boyfriend."

"You are a boy and her friend, yes?" Kol flashed a dark smirk and tightened his grip on Matt's hand, causing Matt to groan.

"Stop it, Kol! You're hurting him!" I hissed and tried pulling him away from Matt.

Kol ignored me deliberately and squeezed Matt's hand harder, forcing him down on his knees. I punched him in the face and groaned in agony, because it hurt more than I expected.

However, Damon Salvatore appeared almost out of nowhere and pulled Kol away from Matt easily, throwing him off the edge of the balcony as if he weighed nothing.

I watched in shock as Damon jumped off the balcony and landed beside Kol, snapping his neck swiftly and thus, killing him right then and there.

Jesus fucking Christ!

What the hell just happened?

"Beth, don't scream. He's not dead," Matt said, noticing the shocked expression on my face. "I know it's hard to believe, but he's a vampire. So is Damon."

Jeez… the Salvatores were vampires too? Oh my God!

The rest of the Mikaelson siblings rushed out to their brother along with a bewildered Elena and as Elijah noticed me on the balcony, I felt my head becoming lightheaded.

My vision was clouded by utter darkness as I fainted, and I was either unconscious when my body hit the floor or was caught by Matt, because I never sensed the pain.

One thing became clear to me in my unconscious state.

I definitely died last week and hadn't just passed out from the blood loss.

My God, I was sure I would go insane if I kept discovering things like this and learned that not only vampires existed, but also fairies and werewolves and whatnot else.

I was unaware of how many hours passed, but my eyes fluttered open and I found myself lying on an expensive chaise longue in someone's- no wait, in the_ Mikaelson Mansion._

It was late and it seemed that most of the guests had gone home, because very little chatter could be heard from downstairs.

Rubbing my sore head, I glanced around anxiously and felt my heart racing out of fear. I couldn't trust anyone in this town and certainly not the people I knew.

I needed to get out of the mansion before something bad happened again.

Standing up carefully, I approached the door and tried opening it to find it locked.

A sinister laughter sounded behind me and I didn't need to turn around to know who it belonged to, but hearing it didn't calm my nerves.

I quickly grabbed a small bust from a nearby table and attempted knocking Kol unconscious with it, but he caught my wrist in the air and yanked the bust out of my grasp.

"Since the vervain is still in your system, we figured we couldn't let you leave yet," he said and brushed his fingertips over my sore spot, causing me to flinch.

"Don't touch me," I hissed venomously, pushing him away from me. "I don't want to have anything to do with you, your family or any of the other god damn vampires in this town!"

"Ah, yes the older Salvatore rudely interrupted our conversation… I'll get my revenge later," He waved his hand dismissingly and slumped down on the chaise longue. "Need a lift home? I learned to drive these new cars yesterday."

"_Right_, because I so want to die _again_ in a car crash with a psychotic vampire! How did you even survive? I watched him break your neck!"

Kol chuckled and winked. "The perks of being a vampire, love! Although, I'm not anything like Damon Salvatore. I'm an Original."

_That's it. I'm going crazy,_ I thought and leaned against the wall. _This can't possibly be real. Maybe I'm in a coma and just dreaming this._

"Are you going to pass out again?" Kol asked mockingly.

Anger flared up inside me and I grabbed the bust again, throwing it at him before he could stop me.

He vanished in the blink of an eye and the bust shattered on the floor while Kol was nowhere to be seen in the dimly lit study.

I breathed calmly and took a few steps forward, noticing that it was a little past midnight on the old grandfather clock.

"Shit! Kol let me out of this room! I should've been home twelve minutes ago!" I growled.

There was no reply or sight of him, so I cussed loudly and took my pumps off to ease my sore feet.

Turning around, I jumped as Kol appeared unexpectedly with a key in his hand, which I guessed would fit the door's keyhole.

"Let's make a deal. You give me a kiss and in exchange, I'll bring you home in under 15 seconds," he said, waving the key playfully in front of me.

"Forget it! I'd rather kiss a horse's ass than you! My dad will be furious if I'm not home and he'll come here as the first thing. Sure you want the police to come here?" I asked daringly.

"_We don't. Let her go home, Kol. You've done more than enough trouble tonight,_" an older female voice said.

I sighed of relief when I saw Esther stepping into the room through another entrance. She seemed furious at her son and with the personality he had, I didn't blame her.

"My son Elijah told me that you already know about us. We can make you forget about us if you wish to."

It was tempting to say yes, because after this night I just wanted to forget about Kol.

However, I needed to know these things and be aware of what truly went on in this town, so I shook my head and left the room once Kol unlocked the door.

Hurrying downstairs to the parking lot, I found my father speaking with another one of Kol's older brothers, who seemed kind and responsible as Elijah.

"Ah, there she is. I truly apologize for keeping her past her curfew," he said and introduced himself as 'Finn' to me. "She had a minor accident and hit her head, so we figured it was best to let her rest for a few hours."

I nodded and tugged on my father's sleeve. "Let's go home, Dad. I'm exhausted," I said.

My father complied without any hassle and followed me to my car, uttering no words much to my surprise.

I half-expected him to scold me for not being careful, but he never said anything.

It was first when we arrived at our house and stepped inside, he seemed to calm down and stared me straight into my eyes.

"You need to stay away from them, Beth. I don't want you going to their home again," he said.

_Why? Because they're vampires?_ I wanted to blurt out the words, but if I did that they'd probably lie to me like they were already doing.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed," I said and hurried upstairs, passing my mom without greeting her.

I needed to get out of this dress and get some rest before I actually went insane.

Luckily, none of my parents questioned me about my sudden mood change and allowed me to go to bed undisturbed.

I couldn't fall asleep at first and ended up reading a few pages of a book about vampires and America's folklore.

There was absolutely nothing about Originals, but there was a lot about vampires – most of which, I assumed was either wrong or exaggerated.

Eventually, I did fall asleep from exhaustion and slept somewhat peacefully if you ignored the nightmare about Kol killing me again…

At one point, I woke up in the middle of the night and noticed I'd received a text from Matt, asking me if I would meet up with him at Elena's tomorrow evening.

Perhaps he wanted to explain why _he_ knew vampires existed?

I texted him back, saying that I would drop by around six, and after letting out a yawn, I slowly fell back asleep again.

Hopefully, Matt wasn't a vampire as well, because I couldn't handle discovering that more of the people I knew were supernatural beings.

In the following morning, I slept in late and was surprised my mother hadn't woken me up as she usually did in the weekends.

Not that I complained.

It was relaxing sleeping till 11 o'clock and welcoming to find breakfast on the table when I went downstairs.

My mother had left a note for me though and appeared to have left early to do some errands.

Sure… 'errands'.

It wouldn't surprise me if those errands were supernatural related.

Eating my breakfast, I suddenly remembered that I had a shift today and decided to call in sick. I just couldn't go to work knowing Kol might appear and my head still hurt from the fall.

I spent the entire day at home instead and watched my favorite movies to take my mind off yesterday's events.

Mom returned two hours before dinnertime and carried a bag full of what appeared to be some sort of herb.

I watched her from afar, as she mixed the herb in all of our food and drinks, making me wonder whether it was vervain.

I'd looked it up on the internet and apparently, it was sometimes used by humans back in the Middle Ages to ward off vampires from compelling people into being sinful.

It seemed some of the legends were true after all.

"Beth? Could you come in here for a moment?" Mom called once she was finished.

"Sure," I muttered quietly and walked in to the kitchen. "What is it?"

"Are you alright? You look like something's troubling you and you didn't say a word last night."

"I was just tired and had a headache. I still do." I covered my bruised head with my long locks that were still curly from the night before.

"Oh… Are you sure there isn't anything you want to talk with me about?" _Why is she so persistent?_

I shook my head and faked a smile. "I'm fine, Mom. Actually, I'm having dinner at Elena Gilbert's home. Matt invited me over."

Mom's eyebrows rose instantly. "Elena Gilbert? You never spoke with her before."

"No, but she and Matt are still friends. Anyway, I won't be here for dinner. I'll call when I'm on my way home."

She nodded understandingly and kissed my cheek before I left, watching me carefully like she was suspecting something.

I wasn't supposed to be at Elena's this early, but I couldn't be in the same house knowing my parents had lied to me about… well, basically everything.

Approaching Elena's beautiful home, I felt nervous about what they were going to tell me and nearly turned around to leave.

But I forced myself to face the truth and knocked hesitantly on the door, wondering how much Elena exactly knew.

The front door was opened by my History teacher Alaric Saltzman, whom I'd often seen having a drink with Damon at the Grill.

"Well, this is awkward," I blurted. "I'm guessing you know what Damon and Stefan are, too. Right?"

Alaric nodded and looked incredibly awkward, but I would be as well if one of my students found me in a student's home.

"Elena isn't here right now. She's out with Elijah at the moment, but I'll explain everything to you. You better come inside and sit down," he said.

I nodded in agreement and walked inside, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"I know it's a lot to take in, so I'll give you the short and sugarcoated version. The Mikaelsons and Salvatores are vampires, but the Mikaelsons are Originals – meaning they're the first vampires that were created…"

"You can't just stake them with ordinary wood and vervain barely harms them. You will either need a dagger dipped in ancient white oak ash or a stake made of the ancient tree. The Originals are the ones you need to avoid and especially Klaus. He's not just a vampire, but also a wolf. A hybrid."

Alaric paused when he noticed the shocked and bewildered expression on my face, looking like he pitied that I was in this position.

"Okay, so… werewolves exist as well? That's just… brilliant." I sighed and groaned.

"They do, but there are few of them left. The vampires drove them to nearly extinction. Doppelgängers exist as well, but that's not so important right now. I was told you have a resurrection ring…?"

I nodded and pulled the ring off so he could take a closer look at it. "It's a family ring. My brothers have one, too. It brought me back to life when Kol killed me."

Alaric frowned. "I have one as well. It revives you only if a supernatural being kills you. They're useful in this town, but I think you need to learn how to defend yourself against vampires. I used to hunt them, so I can teach you."

Awesome. My History teacher had a part-time job as a vampire hunter (!)

"How old are the Originals exactly?"

"1000 years old more or less. When they were humans, they lived as Vikings and came to what would've been America a millennium ago. They lived right here in Mystic Falls alongside with the werewolves."

I nodded understandingly and gulped nervously.

My God, I'd tossed tea in a 1000 years old vampire's face…

"Wait, how were the Originals turned into vampires if they were the first?"

"Their mother, Esther, is a powerful witch. When one of her sons was killed by a werewolf, she turned her children into vampires, so they could protect themselves."

Wow, talk about an incredible History lesson! I guessed that all vampires were created because of the Originals and somehow the Salvatores must be linked to them.

"I have one more question. How come Klaus is a hybrid?" I asked curiously.

"Well… That's a long story to be honest," he answered and stood up. "I'll get us something to drink before we get deeper into everything."

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	4. Wayward Behavior

**A/N: Helloo, this will be the last chapter I publish before my vacation. **

**Of course, there will be a new chapter when I return on the 19th of August.**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 4:

Alaric explained the ways to protect yourself from a vampire to me and showed me a few needful moves I could use in a fight with a vampire.

However, in the middle of my training, my manager called me and told me to come to work immediately unless I wanted to lose my job.

I found it quite odd that he would say that when I'd called in sick, but I needed the job if I wanted to move out of Mystic Falls.

Thanking Alaric for everything, I hurried to work and changed into my uniform quickly.

I'd barely been there in five minutes before I noticed Kol and his brother Klaus sitting by the bar, watching me curiously.

Kol raised his glass and winked, making me realize why my manager suddenly told me to come.

The bastard had compelled him!

Flipping Kol off, I started my shift and focused on serving the hungry customers. I refused to glance at Kol and ignored him deliberately whenever I walked past him.

Halfway into my shift my manager approached me and told me to go serve the two 'gentlemen' at the bar if I didn't want him to go stab himself.

The compulsion tricks were beginning to get on my nerves and I loathed how Kol threatened to hurt people, because he knew that would make me listen.

_Fine, he wants my attention? I'll give him my attention,_ I thought.

Approaching him with a drink I'd spiked with vervain, I served it to him and watched as the liquid burnt his throat.

Klaus burst out laughing much to Kol's displeasure and earned a glare from him.

"She is quite charming, I have to admit that," his brother said and turned to me. "I'm Klaus."

"I know," I said coldly and glared venomously at Kol. "Are you done wasting my time?"

"Not quite. Let's play some pool!" he suggested playfully.

"I don't think so. I'm working, remember? Thanked to you." I smirked smugly, feeling proud of my comeback.

"Not anymore, you're not. Your shift is over. C'mon, Bethany. It's just pool."

Rolling my eyes, I placed my notepad and pen on the bar and followed him to the pool table, contemplating shoving the cue stick up a certain place in him.

However, now that I did have Kol's full attention, I could question him about anything.

"I'm growing quite fond of this century and its useful gadgets," Kol said, leaning against his cue. "I've been thinking about getting a job soon."

"A job? Really? You're-what 1000 years old? You can do whatever you want to," I said.

"I can… but I've already done whatever I want to. Well, there are a few things I haven't done yet and a certain person I'd like to do," He winked flirtatiously, making me want to gag.

It was horrible enough to be killed by him, so sleeping with him was out of the question.

Walking around the table to take a shot at one of the balls, I felt him brush up against me on purpose and groaned aloud.

"Must you be such a perv?" I asked grumpily.

"Must you be so grumpy all the time?" he replied with a smirk.

"Your face makes me grumpy." I grinned and caught myself half-enjoying bickering with Kol, but quickly disguised it before he noticed.

While Kol took his turn, I glanced around the Grill and spotted Klaus walking after Caroline, whom I already knew was a vampire as well.

"He's so smitten in her," Kol said, following the direction of my eyes. "It's disgusting. He always used to say that love is a vampire's greatest weakness."

I raised a brow and wondered if a vampire was even capable of falling in love with their savage nature and need to kill.

Remembering how he nearly broke Matt's hand, I felt the rage returning inside me and wished I carried a stake or dagger right now.

"I take it you're single then?" he inquired a little too curiously.

"I'm not actually," I lied. "I have a boyfriend and no, it's not Matt."

Kol's eyebrows rose and he seemed annoyed much to my pleasure. Alaric had told me that vampires disliked sharing their 'pets' with others and could become possessive easily.

"What's his name then?" He walked casually around the table and made his shot.

"Ohh, is that jealousy I sense?" I grinned and enjoyed watching him become so annoyed.

He approached me calmly and leaned uncomfortably close to me, holding on to my cue so I couldn't move away from him.

My grin vanished as he gazed at my neck and the memory of him biting me haunted my mind.

"I know you're lying, Beth. I can hear your heart beating faster," he said quietly and bared his fangs discreetly to me. "I'm considering biting that pretty little neck of yours again. You were quite tasty if I remember correctly."

Chewing on my bottom lip nervously, I noticed that Alaric was here and he was walking towards me with a determined look in his eyes.

"I think I'm done playing with you." I let go of the cue and tried walking away, but he caught my wrist and pulled me back to him.

"Where's the rush, sweetheart? Are you scared of me?" He leaned down to my neck and inhaled my scent, his fangs elongating again.

The pace of my pulse increased rapidly and I dreaded he would bite me, however, Alaric came to my rescue and pulled me away from him.

"The lady said she's done playing with you," he said firmly. "Go bother someone else."

Kol's eyes flashed dark red and a feral look spread in his face. He moved towards Alaric and as he did, I spotted the blade of a dagger sinking into Kol's chest.

His face slowly turned pale and his body became limp in Alaric's arms, so we quickly moved out through the back entrance to get him out of the customers' sight.

Everything was happening so fast that I could barely keep up with it.

Outside the Grill, Damon and Stefan were waiting, so I guessed this was something they had planned without telling me.

"What the hell? Why are we suddenly daggering him?" I asked, staring at the unconscious Kol.

"It's simple. We're killing the Originals. Esther linked her children together, so if one dies or gets daggered, it'll happen to the others as well," Damon explained.

Unfortunately, the plan backfired on them, because Klaus appeared and knocked the three men down easily, clearly unaffected by the dagger's power.

He yanked the dagger out of Kol and pushed me roughly aside when I tried stopping him, bruising painfully in the process.

"You truly ought to mind your own business, Miss Dawson. Unlike Kol, I'll gladly kill you over and over again until the ring stops working," Klaus growled.

"No, you won't, Niklaus," Elijah spoke, joining us. "We need to stop our mother before she kills us."

It was easy to tell that he was part werewolf now, because unlike Elijah, he was unable to hide his anger and resentment towards his mother.

The pair left the Grill with Kol and vanished into the darkness of the night, allowing me to finally relax.

I'd been too close to die again tonight.

Spending time with these vampires was like playing with fire and I was bound to be burned sooner or later.

"You should go home, Beth. Let us handle the rest," Alaric said, groaning in pain.

"Are you sure?" I asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine," Stefan replied. "Thanks for helping though."

Reluctantly, I wished them good luck and returned to my home, hoping I wouldn't run into any vampires on my way home.

Kol was without a doubt furious at me for helping Alaric daggering him…

Returning to my home, I found my parents watching TV in the living room and decided to eavesdrop on their conversation to see if they were discussing anything supernatural related.

"_I don't think it's a wise idea to tell her the truth,_" Dad said. "_She's only 17! She'll become more scared._"

"_I don't like lying to her, Ben. Perhaps she's safer if she knows… If we train her, she–_"

"_This is not up for discussion, Ariana. I was fine with Mark and Danny becoming hunters, but not Bethany. We just need to keep her away from those vampires._"

Leaning against the wall, I closed my eyes and breathed calmly to prevent the tears from escaping my eyes.

Everyone in my family except for me was told the truth.

Unbe-fucking-lievable!

Rolling my eyes, I walked upstairs and slammed the door shut to make them realize that I was already home.

I never imagined I'd say this, but I'd rather be in school and having lessons than spending another minute in this house.

My mother entered my bedroom a few minutes later and found me sat by my window, listening to my favorite songs to soothe my rage.

"Beth, can we please talk?" she asked, pulling one of my earphones out.

"Sure," I replied colder than I meant to. "What is it?"

"I'm sure you overheard our conversation downstairs… How long have you known the truth?"

"Two weeks. It wasn't an animal that attacked me, Mom. A vampire did it. I know they're here and I can't believe why you would all keep the truth from me!"

My mother sighed heavily and tugged a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Beth, we were going to tell you eventually. I told your brothers the truth when they turned 18 and I would've done the same when you turned 18. I didn't want you to worry about vampires."

"Well, after discovering vampires actually exist, I wished you would've told me. I need to learn how to defend myself, Mom. I… want to be able to kill them."

She frowned and took my hand in hers. "Bethany, my side of the family has hunted vampires for years. I could teach you how to do it, but I don't think you're ready for it. I'd rather have you wore your ring and avoided vampires."

"You don't understand. A vampire _killed_ me, Mom. I should've been dead two weeks ago! I don't want to put all my faith on a magical ring."

"Oh my God… Why didn't you tell me? Who did it?"

My mother's eyes were filled with rage and hatred towards vampires, and if I told her about the Mikaelsons, she would without a doubt attempt killing them all.

I couldn't put her in that kind of danger.

"I don't know," I lied. "It was dark and I'd had a few drinks. But just teach me how to do it, please. I hate feeling vulnerable and weak."

The latter part was truthful, because in these past few days I wished more than anything that I could defend myself and feel strong like I used to be.

Especially around Kol.

"Okay, I'll teach you everything I know. But don't tell your father you know. He's never approved of my family's way of handling vampires."

It was crazy how perfectly normal this conversation seemed to be, but after the days I'd had and everything I'd learned, this no longer shocked me.

Who would've thought my mother – the kindergarten teacher – was a vampire hunter in her spare time?

I sure as hell wouldn't.

Pecking my forehead, my mother promised to teach me some fighting techniques after school and left the bedroom so I could rest.

The next time I would meet Kol, I'd be able to defend myself and he wouldn't be able to scare me that easily anymore.

With that in mind, I was at ease again and stopped worrying about the supernatural drama I'd gotten myself involved in.

On Thursday, it was my 18th birthday and I wouldn't let anything or anyone ruin it.

Changing into my pajamas, I prepared to go to bed when I noticed the dark outline of a person standing in our backyard.

He was throwing small rocks at my window to catch my attention, so I opened the window and took a better look, rolling my eyes when I spotted Kol.

"Go away, you moron!" I nearly shouted.

"Aw, but I just want to talk with you..." Kol said in a saccharine sweet tone. "I promise I'll behave."

"Yeah, right and when I get out you'll probably hurt me. No thank you! Besides, I have school tomorrow. I need sleep."

Kol frowned and jumped up into the tree right outside my bedroom window, climbing deftly up to the branch nearest my window.

Knowing that vampires weren't able to get into my home without an invitation, I stayed calm and briefly considered just closing my window.

Why should I talk with him?

"Well, I think you owe me an explanation for having me daggered," He smirked and did an onceover of my body. "Cute ducks."

I blushed brightly and tried forgetting that I had ducks all over my pajamas and probably looked ridiculous to him.

"I don't owe you an explanation. You were an easy target, that's all."

Kol raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Easy target? Oh please… I let my guards down, because I was so distracted by your sharp tongue and beautiful lips. You still owe me a kiss, too."

_Wow, talk about having a huge ego,_ I thought and shook my head of him.

"So did you just come here to push my buttons?" I would've expected him to be furious – not in a good mood and talkative as always.

"No, although I never get tired of that. I find your reactions incredibly amusing. One of the reasons why I enjoy having you as my pet."

I rolled my eyes and leaned out through the window, feeling tempted to jump out so I could strangle him.

"I'm _not_ your pet and I sure as hell am not here for your entertainment!"

When he started moving towards the window, I swiftly took a step back and just barely avoided being pulled out to him.

"I see your new friends have warned you…" he said, smirking mischievously. "Why don't you just give up and become my pet? I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"_Bethany?_" Dad called outside the door."_Who are you talking with this late? You have school tomorrow, remember?_"

"Yeah, sorry Dad! I was just… talking with a friend on Skype," I lied. "I'll hang up now."

Kol grinned darkly, so I closed the window and pulled on the blinds, so he was unable to peek inside my bedroom.

Damn Kol and his wayward behavior!

Taking a deep breath, I crawled under my duvet and tried falling asleep, half-wondering whether Kol was still outside or not.

I never bothered checking and slept peacefully throughout the night until I had to get up in the morning for school.

I needed to spend some time with my friends and feel like a normal teenager, so I was actually looking forward to seeing them.

My mood was surprisingly positive even though it was Monday and when I arrived to school, I enjoyed focusing on anything non-supernatural related.

My best friend Emma awaited me outside the school entrance with our mutual friend Kayla, who always enjoyed surprising us with a new hair color every two weeks.

This time she'd dyed her hair all black with pink and purple stripes, which looked quite odd with her normal clothes.

"Someone seems to be in a good mood," Kayla said teasingly. "Let's check if she's ill. I mean we all know Beth is grumpy every Monday morning."

"Oh, shush! I've just missed you two," I said, walking inside with them. "Anything new happened?"

"Well… Katie and Kevin are officially over each other," Emma said, nudging my arm playfully. "So he's all yours."

I snorted and shook my head. "No, thank you. Not after what he did to a party two weeks ago."

Their eyebrows rose instantly, so I explained what had happened that night minus the fact that a crazy vampire attacked me afterwards.

They promised to take me out soon and they would help me forgetting about Kevin with a movie night, snacks and funny drawings of the people we hated.

Before the bell sounded, I parted with them to head to the locker-room, because PE was my first class today – one of the reasons why I loathed Monday mornings.

I was horrible in PE and our coach Mr. Thorn didn't exactly make it easier for those, who were unable to run in a fast pace nonstop for a certain amount of minutes.

Luckily, it was warm outside so perhaps we would get to play anything on the fields rather than running tracks all the time.

"_Oh my God, have you seen the substitute replacing coach Thorn? He's so hot!_" Katie said in her usually annoying tone.

Mr. Thorn was ill? Wow, that was a first!

I wasn't complaining, because whenever we had substitutes, we rarely did anything educational.

I was curious about whether our temporary coach would let us do what we wanted to do or be as harsh as Mr. Thorn, because we'd never had a substitute for PE before.

Some of the girls had already met him and said he'd told us to meet him at the baseball field, so we walked out to meet him on the field.

"_Look! There he is! He's so dreamy…_" another one of the girls said, catching my attention.

Having fetched a handful of baseball bats and balls, our substitute coach appeared at last and I was more than just shocked when I saw who it was.

Surrounded by flirtatious girls, Kol enjoyed being the center of their attention and charmed them with his accent.

_You gotta be fucking kidding me,_ I thought, wanting so badly to hurt him. _This morning just became shitty again._

Kol noticed me staring at him and flashed his trademark smirk. It took every bit of my self-control to stay calm, but I refused to let him get a good laugh out of my reactions.

He wanted to be a coach for a day? Fine, then I'd be the 'best' student in his class.

Before the end of this lesson, he would want to quit his job and hopefully, never bother me ever again…

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	5. My Little Pet

**A/N:**

**Me: Why would you write so many chapters ahead? The readers aren't even at chap 5 yet!**

**Me: Well... I was on a roll!**

**Me: *facepalms* Right... **

**Me: I know! Since I already wrote the next chapter days ago, I can upload it before I go on my vacation!**

**Me: *flails* That's actually a good idea! **

**Yup... that conversation with myself is self-explanatory. Thanks for the reviews and enjoy!**

Chapter 5:

"Miss Dawson, you're up!" Kol announced, watching me carefully as I walked past him.

"I'm not sure I want to," I retorted, folding my arms. "Why do we have to play baseball?"

"Well, I've grown quite fond of it recently. Unless you want an F, I suggest you grab a bat and do as I say," Kol replied. "I am the coach after all. I may become the coach permanently, too."

The thought of having Kol as my coach all year made me want to change school, but I reminded myself that the lesson was finished in half an hour.

Grabbing a bat, I walked up to the catcher and positioned myself in front of her, finding it absolutely ridiculous that we were being taught by a vampire.

I prepared to hit the ball and awaited the pitcher's throw, attempting to hit it hard when the baseball flew towards me.

Unfortunately, it was Katie throwing and she made sure it didn't go anywhere near my bat, giving the catcher the opportunity to call out the first strike.

"What's the matter Beth? Too slow to hit a little ball?" Katie asked mockingly and laughed.

I gritted my teeth and prepared for the second attempt, pretending that the ball was Kol's head, which made me so angry that I could hardly focus on hitting the ball.

Laughter erupted between Katie and her friends, so Kol approached me and showed me how to hold the bat in a rather inappropriate way that annoyed Katie.

"I don't need your help. I just need permission to smash her in the face with this bat," I hissed to Kol, pushing him away when his hand brushed my backside.

"Her?" Kol repeated and chuckled. "My little pet has an enemy? Well, this should be entertaining."

"Oh, shut up and keep check of the score, you perv."

"Feisty! I like that. Your butt too when you prepare for a shot."

I gasped and blushed brightly as he walked away, clutching the bat so hard that I thought it would break soon.

Katie waved flirtatiously to Kol and leaned forward in a way, so that he could take notice of her cleavage.

It was frustrating to watch and pushing me over the edge. "Would you stop being such a _slut_ and throw?" I blurted, earning a look from everyone who overheard it.

Anger flashed in her face and she prepared to throw for the last time, but she forgot to focus on the catcher and gave me the opportunity to hit the ball.

It flew much further than I expected it would, so I ran for it from base to base with every ounce of strength and energy in my body.

However, one of Katie's friends caused me to trip near the third base, which allowed Katie's team to lock the base while I writhed in pain on the ground.

My right leg was bleeding a little and had a big abrasion, but other than that, I was fine.

It hurt like hell when I limped back to the bench and my blood felt like it was boiling of rage. I wouldn't let Katie or her friends get away with that that easily.

After a few minutes, it was time to switch and having bandaged my leg in the meantime, I was somewhat ready to play again.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in my leg, I replaced Katie as pitcher and watched her as she walked up to Kol, trying to woo him again before the game continued.

Bitch.

Not that I cared about her flirting with him... For all I cared, she could have him and then when he was tired of her, he would kill her if I were lucky.

Once their conversation ended, Katie seemed almost like a different person and didn't say a word to me as she grabbed the bat.

I eyed Kol suspiciously and wondered if he'd compelled her or said anything to make her this way, because the Katie I knew would've rubbed salt in my wound… quite literally, too.

"C'mon, Miss Dawson. Give her your best throw!" Kol shouted.

Rolling my eyes, I threw the ball and somehow it ended up hitting Katie, because she never made a move to hit the flying ball.

"Umm, Miss Wilson, you're supposed to hit the ball…"

Nearly all of the girls snickered while Katie blushed and grabbed the bat, looking half-determined to hit the ball this time.

She missed the second ball as well though and became immensely frustrated even though she was hardly putting any effort in hitting the ball.

My suspicion about Kol ricking the game was confirmed and frankly, I was happy about it because Katie was humiliating herself in front everyone.

On the last throw, she threw the bat as she swung it and nearly hit me if I hadn't ducked, causing even her own friends to snicker at her.

"Perhaps you should take a break, Miss Wilson," Kol said, trying to muffle his own laughter.

We spent the rest of the lesson playing and despite being on the losing team, then I was more concerned about Kol pretending to be a coach in my school.

While he was distracted gathering the baseball bats and gloves, I picked up a baseball and threw it at his head as fast as I could, wanting revenge for touching my backside.

Kol swiftly turned and caught the ball easily, exclaiming smugly: "That's much better! You're getting better, Miss Dawson."

Groaning, I limped to the locker-room and prepared for my next subject, hoping I wouldn't get to see Kol's annoying face again.

Luckily, he didn't appear at any of my other classes or during lunch where I told Emma and Kayla about the unfortunate PE class I'd had this morning.

"And this dude… you know him from where again?" Emma asked curiously.

"That party in the woods. I swear, he's stalking me. It's annoying," I replied.

"Or romantic?" Kayla suggested playfully. "Maybe he just wants you to fall for him?"

"Oh, no he doesn't. He wants his ego to be boosted. That's all."

"_Is that so?_" a familiar voice said behind me.

Emma and Kayla's lips parted in shock and based on the way they were nearly drooling, I guessed that they found Kol attractive as well.

I felt him push me aside so he could sit between me and Kayla, who couldn't stop twirling her finger around a pink lock of hair.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You can't sit here!" I said louder than I intended to, earning weird looks from the other students in the canteen.

"Well, I'm hungry and I forgot to bring lunch, so I hoped I could steal some food from one of your friends… unless you're offering?" Kol said, smirking mischievously.

"Don't you have any money with you?" Emma asked, looking slightly suspicious.

"Nope. Forgot that too. Clumsy me," he answered and met her gaze, his pupils beginning to dilate. "I think you and your friend should go somewhere else and eat. Forget you saw me."

Both Kayla and Emma stood up automatically and left the table, because they were unable to resist the compulsion and bore no vervain on them.

"You can't just compel my friends!" I hissed quietly.

"Well, I just did. Besides, you're my pet and supposed to feed me. Or do you prefer that I bite an innocent student instead? I might not be able to stop feeding on them."

I rolled my eyes. "You're unbelievable. What do I have to do to make you stop bothering me all the time?"

Kol shrugged and grabbed my apple, taking a bite of it. "You could invite me into your house. It is rather cold outside on that branch."

Snorting, I shook my head and snatched the apple back, throwing it in a trashcan that stood near the table. "Forget it. How do I know you won't attack my parents?"

"Hmm, that's true. Then stop consuming vervain and let me feed off you whenever I want to. Your blood was so tasty."

I was certain my mother would notice the bite marks, so I shook my head and stubbornly refused his offer again.

"You're hard negotiating with like Elijah," he said, grinning. "Okay, last offer and remember, I don't exactly need your permission to do anything. I'm only negotiating this with you, because you keep me from dying of boredom in this town."

"Oh, lovely to know. What's this last offer then?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

Kol leaned inappropriately close to me and earned some strange looks from the students, but he ignored all of them.

"Go on a date with me. Convince me that you're not worth my time and effort."

"Deal. But the date has to be in Mystic Falls and it can't be on Thursday."

He raised a brow. "Why not? Do you have an arrangement with someone else?"

I snorted and laughed. "No, it's my birthday and I don't want you to screw it up, so you better stay out of my sight that day."

The tardy canteen bell rang and I only shifted my gaze from Kol for a few second, but he still managed vanishing without making a sound.

On my napkin, he'd written a time and day of our date, but unfortunately the date was tomorrow night, which left me with little time to prepare myself.

How would I possibly manage to make him lose his interest in me?

"I'm screwed. I'm so screwed," I groaned, staying put at my table while the others went to class.

"_Bethany?_" Kevin called, approaching me quickly.

_Oh my God, can this Monday get any worse? Someone please hide me,_ I thought grumpily.

Kevin managed catching up with me as I started walking out towards the halls, blocking my path so I had to speak with him.

"Beth, please… Can we talk for a moment?" he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"If this is about the party, then–"

"It's not. Well, it is in a way. I've been a dick to you since we got in high school, but I miss having you around. Katie and her friends changed me, but I'm never as happy as I was with you."

The old part of me that still had a crush on him, wanted to forgive him and believe every word he said, but the new and improved me wasn't sure.

"I'll think about it. I gotta go to class or I'll be late," I said.

Kevin nodded understandingly and pulled me in for a hug that left my heart racing when we parted.

God, my life was truly messed up!

Hurrying to class, I refused to spend another minute worrying about Kol or Kevin, because my studies were more important than any one of them.

After school, I started on my training with my mother, but since my leg was still throbbing of pain, she merely showed me how to make stakes out of anything wooden.

It was useful knowledge, because I never knew when a vampire would attack me.

Vampire Defense 101 finished before my father returned from work, so he didn't notice what we'd been up to.

"Mark called me today," Dad started during dinner. "He and Danny are coming to Mystic Falls tomorrow night so they'll be here for your birthday."

"Tomorrow night?" Oh yay… my brothers would come. I was happy to see them again, but after discovering they hunted vampires, I felt betrayed by them for not telling me anything. "I… um, I actually have a date tomorrow."

My father raised a brow and stared at me while a smile formed on my mother's lips. The last time I went on a date was one and a half year ago where my dad did a background check on him.

When he discovered that the boy got into trouble, he banned me of seeing him again and scared him away.

After that, no boys tried asking me out, because they feared my father would frighten them too.

And then there was Katie, who told all sorts of rumors about me…

"With who?" Dad asked suspiciously.

"Umm… A guy named Kol," I answered hesitantly. "Kol Mikaelson."

As dreaded, their expression changed and they both appeared concerned, making me wonder if they already knew the Mikaelsons were vampires or just had a suspicion.

"Will we meet him?" Mom asked, trying to stay calm. "How old is he?"

"I…" I didn't know to be honest. Kol was definitely older than 18, but how many years old than Rebekah he was, I didn't know for sure. "21 and yeah, he's going to pick me up."

It was a small lie, but I might actually be right about his age.

Taking a deep breath, I continued eating and pretended as if I knew nothing about how dangerous Kol truly was.

I went straight upstairs to my bedroom after dinner and fed my hamster Rory, smiling at the sight of him running around happily in his wheel.

Once he was content, I grabbed a novel from my bookshelf and read a few chapters to distract myself from the array of worries in my mind.

Studying literature and creative writing would be perfect for me, because I always became easily immersed into a story.

Stories distracted me from the negative aspects of my life and reminded me that the world could be beautiful if you saw it through different people's eyes or in this case – their point of view.

Eventually, I fell asleep in the middle of a chapter from exhaustion and couldn't be bothered lying in the right direction.

I did wake up in the middle of the night, because I thought I heard a sound and dismissed it as nothing as it was too dark for me to see anything anyway.

Tuesday went normally and without any interruptions from Kol, which was a relief, because I could finally think about whether I wanted to forgive Kevin.

By the time evening came, I was waiting calmly for Kol to arrive. I hadn't put any makeup on or bothered to make myself look pretty, because tonight was about making him lose his interest in me.

The only thing that did concern me was that Kol needed to meet my parents first.

Would they know he was a vampire?

I pulled my mother into the kitchen and decided to tell her the truth minutes before Kol would arrive.

"Mom, don't freak out, but I need you to lie to Dad about Kol being normal," I blurted. "I know what he is and what he's capable of, but you need to trust me on this one."

My mother gasped and lowered her voice before she made a scene. "You're going on a date with a vampire? Bethany, are you out of your mind? He could kill you!"

"I know, but I have my ring if anything happens. As for Kol, then I have unfinished business with him and he won't hurt anyone or me if I do this. So please help me."

"Bethany, I can't believe you'd ask me to do this… Your father already suspects the Mikaelsons of being vampires."

Groaning, I glanced out of the window and noticed Kol out on the road, walking with a bouquet of red roses.

Guess chivalry wasn't dead yet.

"Trust me like I trust you," I said. "Please, Mom."

My mother let out a sigh and finally nodded, wishing me good luck as Kol knocked on the door. I walked out to the entrance and watched my father greeting Kol while eyeing him suspiciously.

They wouldn't invite him inside, however, my mother did greet him kindly and pretended that he was a normal young man, who genuinely liked their daughter.

"For you, my love," Kol said when I stepped out to him, handing me the roses. "You look… cute."

"Thanks…" I inhaled the scent of the roses and couldn't resist the urge to smile. "Where are we going then?"

Placing the roses on the porch, I followed him to his car and rolled my eyes at the sight of the expensive sports car he'd bought.

I opened my mouth to say something mockingly, but remembered that tonight was about annoying the crap out of him.

"Oh my gosh! That is such a nice car!" I said, pretending to be Katie. "Are you, like, rich or something?"

Kol stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me. "I see what you're doing. Nice try, Dawson. Get in the car."

I groaned quietly and stepped into the car as he opened the door for me, surprised to see Kol behaving well so far.

He wouldn't reveal where we were going in the beginning, but having lived in Mystic Falls for soon 18 years, I knew where everything was and noticed he was heading towards his home.

_If I'm lucky I'll faint again and avoid having to spend time with him,_ I thought.

"Straight to the bedroom? Someone's feeling cocky," I couldn't resist saying.

"_That's_ the Beth I know," he chuckled and parked outside his home, escorting me inside. "My bedroom is open anytime though."

I snorted and glanced around, finding the mansion so beautiful and elegant even without the elaborate decoration they used on the night of the ball.

Without the many guests, the mansion seemed larger and made me feel small.

"Right this way, Miss Dawson," Kol offered his hand, so I took the opportunity to cling myself to him and hoped it would annoy him. "You've got really strong arms. Do you work out?"

Kol grinned. "Sometimes, yes. You do realize that complimenting me will make me find you more likable? And I certainly don't mind being so close to you."

The lustful look in his eyes was noticeable, but I refused to appear become angry like I usually did.

"Well, I'm glad, because I enjoy being close to you too."

He raised a brow and merely smirked without commenting on my reply. Two blonde haired women awaited us in the dining room with drinks, which I both gladly accepted and drank.

I was going to need a lot of alcohol to get through this date.

"Oh, someone's thirsty… Careful or you might end up liking me by the end of this date," Kol said teasingly and pulled a chair out for me. "Please sit. Dinner will be served shortly."

Raising a brow, I sat down at the table and examined the newly polished cutlery, finding it spotless and void of flaws.

"Whoa. Talk about being neat," I muttered and felt the alcohol kicking in, making my hands prickle weakly. "More drinks, please!"

Kol returned with two freshly cooked and appetizing dishes that made my mouth become wet of hunger.

It looked absolutely amazing and it seemed he'd put a lot of effort into it, so I 'accidentally' dropped my plate on the floor.

"Oops! I'm such a clumsy duck," I said, giggling. "Guess I won't be eating anything tonight then."

Kol narrowed his eyes at me and seemed contemplative for a moment, but then silently pushed his plate towards me with a smug smirk on his lips

"You can have mine. I'm more of a blood guy anyway." _How fucking fantastic!_

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**See you again on the 19th!**


	6. A Living Contradiction

**A/N: Heeey! I'm back! I was gonna upload this yesterday, but didn't have time to finish the chapter. **

**Thanks for the reviews and for being so patient!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 6:

"Out of pure curiosity… what should one do to lose your interest?" I asked halfway through the dinner.

I poked a potato suspiciously before tasting it and could barely muffle the moan that threatened to escape my lips.

God, this dish was the best I'd ever had in my life!

"I suppose you'd have to be tedious, a werewolf or a drama queen like my sister. I hate drama queens…" he replied.

He rolled his eyes and swiftly fetched two glasses of champagne, letting me only get my hands on one of them.

"I can be all three of those. You should see me when I'm PMSing. I'm one step from turning into a savage werewolf," I said honestly with my mouth full of food and gulped.

Whenever I was drunk, I became brutally honest and right now, I was about halfway drunk, which explained my sudden need to tell him exactly what I was thinking about without filtering it.

"Your brother Klaus is a bit of psychopath, isn't he? A psychopathic hybrid with mommy issues."

Kol burst out laughing and nodded in agreement. "Be glad he isn't here to hear you."

"So what if he is? I can't die anyway." I waved my hand in front of him and stood up, having a sudden urge to pee. "Bathroom?"

"Down the hall and then look for the second last door."

Finishing my champagne, I staggered out of the dining room and glanced around in the hallway, trying to remember which side of the hall he told me to look for.

I walked down to the two second last doors and chose the one on the right, discovering an equally beautiful and elegant bathroom that had the size of my bedroom.

Blinking a few times, I was so distracted by the beauty that I nearly forgot why I came to the bathroom until the pressing urge in my bladder reminded me.

After releasing myself of the urge, I splashed some cold water on my face and stared at my own mirror reflection.

My usually curly auburn hair hung in wavy curls over my shoulders and my cheeks were rosy due to the heat the alcohol produced in my body.

Letting out a sigh, I returned to find Kol and heard music coming from the ballroom. I frowned and followed the sound of dance music, wondering what Kol was up to now.

Standing in the middle of the immense ballroom, was Kol and behind him, a compelled pianist sat playing on a large piano one of my favorite songs.

It was a modern and an odd choice of song to dance to, but I was amazed by how he was able to play the melody perfectly without missing a key.

"Showing off your stalker abilities, are we?" I couldn't resist saying, wondering how he figured out what my current favorite song was. "Also, I thought I sucked at dancing…"

"You do, which is why I'm being such a noble man and teaching you how to dance somewhat decently," Kol replied arrogantly. "C'mon, you drunken fool."

I snorted and approached him, finding his attempt to woo me both cheesy and ridiculous as it wouldn't change the fact that he was a sociopathic vampire.

Placing his hand on my waist and mine on his shoulder, we started the rather untraditional dancing lesson.

"I think this is just an excuse for you to 'accidentally' touch my ass again," I muttered, attempting to focus on my footwork.

"You know me so well already," Kol said sarcastically. "I believe that you can tell a lot based on the way a person dances… it's all in their posture and movements."

Bursting out laughing, I shook my head and pulled out of his embrace, but his hand caught mine and I found myself being pulled back into his embrace.

"You're a living contradiction. You're impulsive, but careful and hesitant. You loath me, but find my company likeable. You…" His thumb brushed my cheek and a spark of excitement flared up inside me. "… enjoy playing with fire even though you're scared of it."

My heart started beating faster as Kol summarized my personality – even the parts I wouldn't admit to being true.

Whether it was the alcohol or the fact that he could read me so easily, I found myself blushing brightly and pushed Kol away from me.

"You're not the only one who can read a person's personality,"

Venom dripped in my voice and a part of me knew it was a merely an attempt to deflect the focus on myself, but I was too drunk to care.

"Underneath that smug and narcissistic behavior is a man, who loathes his own existence and attempts distracting himself from it by doing wicked things. You're a hypocrite, Kol. You don't love yourself at all."

Silence replaced the beautiful tones and when I noticed the emotionless expression on his face, I sobered up instantly.

"I think I'm done playing with you." In a flash, Kol was on top of me and sinking his fangs into my neck, savagely ripping my flesh open without killing me.

Despite consuming vervain laced blood, he continued this savage behavior and caused me to cry out loudly.

My screams echoed throughout the ballroom and frightened the pianist, who fled the second Kol made eye contact with him.

Letting go of me briefly, he dashed towards the pianist and tore his heart out straight from his chest before he reached the exit.

I was shaking and lightheaded, so I crawled away while Kol was occupied and attempted ignoring the intense pain in my neck.

I shouldn't have gone on this date or trusted that Kol wouldn't hurt me.

Halfway near an exit, Elijah appeared and rushed to me, biting open his wrist and telling me to drink his blood.

Kol didn't fail to notice his presence, but he seemed careless about what he'd done and left without saying a word.

"I apologize deeply for my brother's behavior," Elijah said once I let go of his wrist.

My neck throbbed of pain even though it had healed up and my clothes were stained with my own blood – something my parents would easily notice.

"He lashes out when someone wounds his ego."

"I've noticed," I said dryly and groaned. "I can't go home like this, Elijah. My parents know he's a vampire."

Elijah's brows furrowed and he assisted me as he escorted me into one of the guest rooms near Rebekah's bedroom.

Somehow, he convinced her into letting me borrow some of her clothes and I would have to lie to my parents about what happened to my real clothes.

On my way out to the cab that waited for me outside, I walked past Klaus and felt my heart skip a beat out of fear for how he would react to my presence.

He stopped dead in his tracks and examined my body closely, his gaze fixating on the ring on my finger.

"How did you get that ring exactly, Miss Dawson?" he asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Niklaus," Elijah warned. "She's been through enough tonight. Leave her be."

Klaus flashed a devious smirk and walked away, allowing me to let out a sigh of relief without seeming horribly scared of him.

"You should stay away from us as much as possible. I don't want another innocent girl to die because of our tendencies towards violence."

Another girl?

I wondered how many other girls had died because of them and how many of them were killed by Kol.

Taking a deep breath, I exhaled and thanked Elijah for helping me. I glanced back at the mansion before stepping into the cab and noticed Kol standing out on the balcony, watching me like a hawk.

It was foolish of me to do such a thing when he'd just tried to kill me, but I was so angry and hurt by what he did that I just… flipped him off.

Kol stood up straight instantly, so I hurried into the cab and told the driver to rush back to my home, fearing what Kol would snap again.

God, I truly was playing with fire and couldn't resist the temptation to do it.

My parents were waiting for me on the porch when I returned home and probably wondered why I was back this early.

Lying to my father would be easy, but lying to my mother… It would be a luck if she didn't notice something was wrong.

"No need to wait out here for me," I said jokingly.

"Where are your clothes?" Mom asked worriedly.

"I had a little accident. My clothes got stained pretty bad, so I lend some of Rebekah's clothes. She's Kol's sister," I lied and shrugged. "It's fine. The date wasn't good anyway."

"Oh, I see. So nothing happened?" She sent me a meaningful look, so I shook my head and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm gonna have an early night. Goodnight, Mom, Dad."

"Whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going?" Dad asked, pulling me back before I could go upstairs. "Tell me what happened on this date. Did he hurt you?"

"No, Dad. Not every guy out there wants to hurt me. We didn't really hit off as I expected, but he'll stop flirting with me now."

Seeming somewhat pleased with my answer, I walked upstairs and showered to get rid of the blood on my hair, which my parents luckily hadn't noticed.

Changing into my pajamas afterwards, I decided to calm my nerves by continuing reading my current favorite book.

It was difficult forgetting the look of pure hatred in Kol's eyes when I lashed out at him, but I didn't regret any of the things I said.

After the way he'd tormented me, he deserved a bit of raw honesty and hopefully, it made him lose his interest in me.

"Asshole…" I muttered, shaking my head and wincing.

My neck still ached, so I sat by the window seat and leaned my head against the window for support.

For several minutes, I attempted getting immersed in the book, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about tonight's event.

Giving up completely, I set the book aside and gazed out of the window, feeling relieved and slightly disappointed about not seeing Kol outside.

_Why do I keep thinking about him?_ I thought. _I need a distraction. I need… Kevin._

It was about time I put an end to our complicated friendship or whatever it was right now. I needed some normality in my life and he could give it back to me.

I sent him a text asking if he was free tomorrow evening and agreed to meet up with him after work.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and tried falling asleep, feeling exhausted from being nearly killed. I focused solely on Kevin and wished that he would become the guy I befriended many years ago.

The morning after went somewhat well and throughout the entire day, there was no sight of Kol much to my relief.

I was in my own little world and excited about meeting up with Kevin after work.

Kevin waited for me outside the Grill and seemed just as excited about seeing me. I hoped it was because he genuinely wished to bury the hatchet and start something new with me.

"Hey, Beth. Want to go grab a bite?" he asked, nodding towards a nearby diner.

"God, yes. I'm starving," I answered, laughing as we crossed the street. "Is everything going well with you?"

Kevin nodded and opened the door for me. "I've been worried about you. I heard Katie and her friends were mean to you last Monday."

"Is that so shocking? She hates me. She always has." I sighed and took a seat by the window, noticing that there weren't a lot of people in the diner.

"She's just… jealous. She knows I like you and well, she's a lot more insecure than she looks. But let's not talk about her tonight."

Agreeing, we ordered something to eat and drink. I felt relaxed and carefree for the first time since I met Kol, but something still bothered me.

"How come you and Katie broke up? You seemed happy at the party."

Kevin groaned when I mentioned Katie's name and reached over the table to hold my hand, causing my heart to beat a little faster.

"The truth is that… I've been in love with you for a while. I felt embarrassed about it at first, because we've been friends for so long. I guess that's why we grew so distant. Katie could tell how I felt about you and got tired of it. So did I. I hate pretending."

The revelation of his secret surprised me, because I always thought he saw me as his little sister or unattractive friend.

Did I truly want to be in a relationship with Kevin?

It was one thing to imagine it and another to actually be capable of doing it. I chewed nervously on my bottom lip and couldn't hide the smile that formed on my lips.

"I hope you feel the same way. I could always be myself around you," Kevin said.

"You do realize that a certain someone won't like it, right?" I asked jokingly.

He nodded and pulled my hand to his lips, pressing them softly on it. "You're worth it, Beth. I know there's a reason why I decided to run literally into you on our first day of school."

I laughed at the memory of how we first met, but my laughter stopped abruptly when I noticed someone entering the diner.

Kol.

"Shit," I cussed under my breath.

Kevin overheard my profanity and frowned, glancing in my direction and furrowing his brows. He must've heard or seen Kol before, because he didn't seem overly pleased to see him.

"What's that dick doing here? Doesn't he have any teenage girls to flirt with?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Probably not. Just ignore him."

Reluctantly, Kevin turned his full attention to me and intertwined his fingers with mine as we continued eating our meal.

We spoke about everything from school to old memories with each other and it took every bit of my self-control not to peek at Kol by the table several feet away from us.

_Take a deep breath, Beth. Maybe it's just a coincidence that he's here, _I thought anxiously.

"So I was thinking…" Kevin said as we finished our meals. "… we should go on a proper first date. I'd like to take you out sometime this week. On your birthday, maybe?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'm free in the evening, so we could go to the cinema or…"

"Or get something delicious to eat at a restaurant?" Kevin suggested with a playful smile on his lips.

"That, too." I couldn't resist the urge to smile as well and blushed brightly. "Right, so dinner and then the cinema?"

Kevin nodded in agreement and leaned across the table to plant a soft kiss on my cheek. My cheeks instantly turned a shade redder and I was positive it was noticeable.

"I gotta go now, but it was nice talking with you at last. I'll pick you up at six, okay?"

Nodding, I stood up and embraced him tightly, savoring tingling sensation his gentle touch created inside me.

Once he left the diner, Kol finally stood up from his seat and followed Kevin out.

I dreaded that he would hurt him as payback for what I said, so I tossed some money on the table and hurried after him.

Kevin was nowhere to be seen, but I spotted Kol walking into a dark alley and followed him once I'd armed myself with a makeshift weapon.

This was it.

It was either Kol or Kevin and I sure as hell wouldn't let Kol survive.

However, I lost sight of Kol when I reached a dead-end and realized that Kol had lured me into a trap, knowing that I'd try protecting Kevin.

I prepared myself for a fight and glanced around, my hand clutching the makeshift stake so hard that my knuckles turned white.

As I stepped forward, Kol suddenly appeared in front of me and bared his sharp fangs. I reacted instantly and instinctively swung the stake at his chest.

Dodging my attack easily, he laughed darkly at my attempts to stake him and waited until I was beginning to pant before he finally snapped my neck.

Once again, darkness clouded and consumed every inch of my mind, but I wasn't scared and knew that I would wake up soon.

* * *

**A/N2: If you've noticed any errors, then it's due to the fact that I haven't edited the chapter, because I wanted to upload it as fast as possible.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	7. Happy Birthday

**A/N: Heey, thanks for reviewing and letting me know what you think!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 7:

A loud honk jolted me awake and I gasped for air as my lungs were working again.

Rubbing my weary eyes, I realized that it was dark outside, but in the horizon I could see the very beginning of a sunrise glowing brightly.

It appeared that only a few hours had passed since Kol snapped my neck, however, I was no longer in an alley in Mystic Falls.

"Jesus Christ," I muttered and spotted Kol sitting next to me, driving the car I was situated in. "Are you fucking insane?"

"Yeah, didn't you already know?" he replied nonchalantly and smirked. "Oh right. Happy birthday, Bethany."

I blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what he'd said and glanced at my watch. It was nearly 5am and my parents were without a doubt freaking out right now.

"Oh my God… My parents. I… where are we?" I asked, gazing out the window to look for a sign.

We were currently leaving the airport and headed into the center of New Orleans, so I guessed Kol smuggled me on board a plane while I was unconscious.

"Welcome to the City of Vampires, love," Kol said and drove up to a motel. "Kind of short notice, I know, but I wanted to surprise you."

I stared speechlessly at Kol.

How could he suddenly be the same playful guy he was before I insulted him?

It was as if he'd flipped a switch and forgotten what happened between us over a day ago. I shook my head of him and stepped out of the car, noticing that I still wore my uniform.

"Give me my phone. I need to call my parents."

Kol stepped out of the car and leaned against the top of the car. "I don't think so. I texted them saying you were spending the night at Emma's. I compelled her to back up the story, so you're covered."

"Of course you did…" I rolled my eyes and felt like bashing his head into a wall. "Asshole."

A wide smirk formed on his lips. "You compliment me way too much."

Groaning loudly, I started walking away from Kol, because the thought of spending another minute with him made my blood boil of anger.

My birthday had only begun and he'd already ruined it for me.

"Give me my phone. I need to text my friends and tell them I won't be coming to school today or they'll drop by my parents' home after school and they'll figure out everything."

Kol frowned and reluctantly handed me my phone, allowing me to text my friends and tell them that I was visiting a sick relative in New Orleans.

Of course, he wouldn't let me keep my phone once I was done and even checked my message to ensure I hadn't ratted him out.

"Could you please take me home? I get you're angry about what I said, but–"

"Angry?" Kol burst out laughing and approached me, the rocks crunching under his shoes and replacing the temporary silence. "I'm not angry. I admit I snapped, but it's no fun being around you if you aren't a tiny bit scared of me."

I heaved a sigh of exasperation and wished Kol came with some sort of manual. He was so confusing, unpredictable and moody all the time.

"Okay, let's make a deal. Spend a few hours with me here and I'll get you home before your little date with what-his-face begins. Yes?" Kol suggested.

Folding my arms, I knew that no part of me should trust Kol anymore, but I needed to play along if I wanted to get back to Mystic Falls.

"I need to be back before 4pm," I negotiated. "It is my birthday after all and my mother barely trusts you as it is. You're on the top of her list if I don't come home."

Kol groaned in frustration and was forced into making the deal with me. He eyed me suspiciously once the deal was made and glanced at my ring briefly.

"A little more blood from my brother and you might actually have become a vampire. I'm not quite sure if I should be relieved or disappointed about that."

Without saying anything else, he started approaching the motel and signaled to me to follow him inside, which I reluctantly agreed to.

I could use a few hours of sleep before we did whatever he'd planned for today, so I didn't try to hide or muffle the yawn that threatened to escape my lips.

Kol noticed the weary expression on my face and contemplated something before a devious smirk suddenly appeared on his lips.

"You should get some rest. I'll be a gentleman and let you sleep in the bed… with me," he said arrogantly and threw himself on the bed.

"I'd rather sleep on the stained couch or floor than in a bed with you. Now shoo and let me sleep or you'll experience a grumpy and hungover monster named Beth," I replied.

Kol wouldn't move an inch, so I pushed him off the bed and crawled under the covers, taking up all the space so there was no room for him.

"Fine. I need an early breakfast anyway. Don't even think about running away. I won't go far."

Leaving me alone in the room, Kol headed somewhere else, but I was too tired and sore all over to care about his whereabouts or about fleeing.

Closing my eyes, I tried catching some sleep and rested comfortably in the queen-size bed that had probably looked good and germfree once.

I was unsure of when Kol returned, but in the few hours I slept, I saw glimpse of him in my dreams.

I dreaded that the vervain I ingested many hours ago was wearing out and giving Kol access to my mind, but could he truly get through the vervain-filled necklace I wore?

As soon as I woke up, I touched my neck to ensure that my necklace was still there and found it missing as well as the backup bracelet I wore.

Laughter sounded from beside me and I shrieked as I realized I'd been lying closely next to Kol.

"Get out, you pervert!" I hissed angrily.

"But you seemed so comfortable in my arms," he said, feigning surprise. "And here I was wondering if you secret had a crush on me. I am hurt."

I rolled my eyes and smacked him in the face with a pillow. "Oh, don't be such a drama queen. You did it on purpose. And you took my jewelries! Give them back!"

Kol laughed as if I'd told him a funny joke until he realized I was serious. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I want to see what dirty secrets I can get out of you."

Gulping nervously, I shifted uncomfortably in the bed and slipped out of the bed to notice that Kol had bought me new clothes while I was sleeping.

"You can't walk around in that uniform all day. You should shower, too. I want you to look decent when I introduce you to Marcel."

I frowned. "Who the hell is Marcel? I'm not meeting anyone or wearing that clothes."

In a flash, Kol was suddenly behind me and stripped me down to my underwear so fast that I could barely comprehend what was going on.

"Jeez, could you be more controlling and perverted?" I huffed, grabbing the clothes and hurrying into the bathroom.

Fortunately, the baby blue, strapless dress Kol bought for me was moderately decent and I couldn't complain about the high heels either.

After the quick shower, I braided my hair loosely over my shoulder and stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed.

"I don't even want to know how you know my sizes," I commented dryly. "Who is this Marcel person anyway?"

"An old friend of my brother Klaus and I. We go way back and I hear he's the current king of New Orleans," Kol replied.

"King of New Orleans? Pfft, sounds ridiculous if you ask me. So he's a vampire or…?"

Kol nodded and smiled. "Turned by Klaus before New Orleans is what it is today. I was daggered here by the way."

Right.

Alaric did tell me about how Klaus daggered all of his siblings throughout the centuries and kept them stored up in coffins.

"Why did he dagger you? No wait, don't answer that. I can guess why. I bet it's because of your lovely personality and sociopathic tendencies."

Kol laughed warmly and approached me slowly, a dark and sinister expression filling his face. "I'd be careful if I were you. Not all vampires appreciate that sharp tongue of yours."

He walked past me and left a cold, frightening sensation inside me.

Everything he said about me was truthful and I sometimes wished I could filter my thoughts before I blurted them out like that.

"C'mon, Miss Dawson. The king is a busy man," Kol said, waiting by the door.

Huffing of displeasure, I followed him into the city and glanced around curiously, as we walked through the streets of New Orleans.

I'd only left Mystic Falls on school trips to museums and never actually been on a proper vacation… if you could even call this a vacation.

Some of the streets contained gypsies and fortunetellers with mystical objects on their tables, making me wonder if any of them were actually able to predict the future.

A few of them glanced up from their tables when we walked past them and based on the look in their eyes, they seemed to recognize Kol or knew he was dangerous.

"Are they actually able to predict one's future?" I asked, always wanting to try meeting a fortuneteller.

"Well… some can, yes," Kol answered and fell silent for a moment, watching me intently. "Do you want to try? We have time."

A smile formed on my lips immediately and I nodded, glancing around for the fortunetellers that eyed Kol suspiciously earlier.

They had to be the real psychics among the fake ones.

Kol handed me some money and pointed to one of the women in my view, telling me to pay her table a visit.

I made my way through the crowd of unsuspecting tourists and approached the table a few minutes after another customer left it.

"Hello," I greeted kindly. "Can you really predict people's future?"

"Yes, and their past," she replied, offering me a seat. "What would you like to know, child?"

I inhaled sharply and felt my heart hammering away, because a part of me was worried about what I would learn.

"I want to know… what's the story behind this ring?" I asked, showing her my resurrection ring.

Her eyes fixated on the center of it and recognition spread on her face. She shook her head though and grabbed a deck of tarot cards instead, sliding them out in front of me.

"I'm afraid I know nothing of it. But perhaps I can assist you through a card reading?" she suggested, failing to disguise the lie properly.

"Sure," I said and frowned. "Do I pick a card or…?"

"Yes. Close your eyes and let your hand glide over the cards. Your spirit will guide you to the right cards."

Closing my eyes hesitantly, I held my hand over the cards and moved it from side to side, wondering how I would know to stop.

I decided to follow my instincts and picked out three cards from the left, which she took and turned upside down to reveal the hand drawn picture.

My eyes fluttered open and I examined the three cards in front of me, remembering seeing all three of them before in silly books about the occult.

Death, The Lovers and Three of Cups.

Each of them except for the latter was turning the right way while Three of Cups was reversed, making me wonder if it meant it had another meaning to it.

"Death follows you like a yearning lover, but Death has many meanings and can merely symbolize that you will go through a big change. I sense the change will be one in your heart – perhaps between two men in your life. You know what a reversed Three of Cups means?"

Shaking my head, I felt the pace of my heartbeat increase significantly.

It wasn't exactly a positive thing to hear that Death desired you all the time and my first thought of who Death was, was of course Kol.

"Well, let me put it this way. Three's a crowd."

I frowned and jumped when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. The fortune teller's blue eyes fixated on the person behind me and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"It's time to go, Beth," Kol announced. "You've aged extraordinarily well, Beatrice. No one would believe you were older than 100 years old."

My eyes widened and I needed to do a onceover of the fortuneteller in front of me. She barely appeared to be older than at least 60.

"It's been a long time, Kol. I'm surprised your brother undaggered you after what you did," Beatrice said, standing up. "You shouldn't be here. And especially not with her."

Kol raised a brow. "And why is that? Tell me what you know, witch."

_Of course! She's a witch. That explains it all, _I thought.

"You know the story behind my ring. I know you do," I said, surprising Kol slightly. "Please tell me what you know."

Beatrice shook her head and packed up her belongings. "I must go. Marcel will kill me if he sees me talking with you."

Disappearing into the crowd of tourists, we were left on our own by the table and all I could think about was that strange prediction.

"C'mon. You can't trust these witches anyway," Kol said, tugging me through the market.

"What exactly did you do since Klaus daggered you?" I questioned as we walked. "Was it truly your 'flawless' personality?"

Kol laughed and shook his head. "I wish. But my personality is flawless. Klaus daggered me because I'd had enough of fleeing with him. I wanted to speak with our-well, _my_ father Mikael. He saw it as me betraying him and daggered me so I wouldn't leave him."

_Oh… Talk about having a shitty brother. Maybe I should call mine instead of ignoring them…_

My expression softened and I genuinely pitied Kol rather than constantly hating him.

Kol noticed the change in my expression and flashed a smug smirk. "My God, you humans are so easy to fool. Glad to see that you don't hate me completely though."

I grimaced and punched Kol in the face, earning a few looks from the people around us, but Kol barely seemed to feel anything.

"You're so messed up, you know that?" I growled, shaking my head of him.

"Oh, I know. Now stop pouting or I'll rip that dress off you right here. You look sexy when you're mad," he replied, winking flirtatiously.

I opened my mouth to gasp and settled with slapping him hard across his face, then started walking in the opposite direction of where we were heading.

Kol rolled his eyes and followed me, picking me up easily and throwing me over his shoulder to carry me the rest of the way.

"Kol! You douche! Let me down right now or I swear to God I'll shove a baseball bat up where the sun doesn't shine!" I screamed, punching his back repeatedly.

Nothing fazed him though, so I was forced to giving up and letting him carry me into an old New Orleans-styled bar and grill where a group of men were blatantly drinking from some women.

Everyone in the bar seemed to be either compelled or too scared to object to what they were doing.

"Oh… fuck," I cussed under my breath when Kol finally set me down. "What the hell is this place?"

"_This would be my bar_," an unfamiliar male voice said. "_What brings you to my kingdom, Kol?_"

My… kingdom? I glanced up into the eyes of a dark-skinned, nearly bald but attractive young man, who was without a doubt a vampire as well.

That smug smirk seemed to be on most vampires nowadays.

"I wanted to see what you'd done with the place since I last saw it," Kol said casually and gazed at me. "And introduce you to my pet. Beth, this is Marcel."

"Hey, I'm not your pet! He's delusional," I said, signaling that he was crazy. "And he kidnapped me on my freaking birthday."

"Oh, it's your birthday?" Marcel smiled charmingly and leaned down to my eye level as his pupils dilated. "How old are you turning?"

"18…" I answered automatically.

The smile on his lips widened and he placed his index finger under my chin. "We ought to celebrate that then. But first I want you to take a seat and look pretty while I speak with Kol."

* * *

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	8. 18 Shots

**A/N: So... yeah, I have no life so I just had to write this chapter. *dies***

**Thanks for the reviews and being the most awesome reviewers I've ever had.**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 8:

None of the vampires in the bar dared approaching me, but I noticed all of the hungry looks in their eyes.

I decided to turn my attention back to Kol and Marcel as they sat speaking with each other, occasionally laughing and glancing in my direction.

My birthday couldn't seem to get any worse than it was right now.

Of all days, then I just had to be stuck in a vampire king's bar on my 18th birthday and be treated as if my life meant nothing to them.

"I hate you, Kol," I muttered, knowing he would overhear it. "I will never forgive you for this."

Kol leaned in and said something to Marcel that caused him to glance my way again, and after a moment of deliberation, he approached me and undid the compulsion on me.

"Very well, Miss Dawson. Let's celebrate that birthday of yours," he said, smiling charmingly. "Let's have a drink first, yes?"

"I'm not having a drink with two vampires! I just want to go home," I replied, having lost my patience. "I'm not Kol's pet and I'll never be his pet, understood?"

Marcel grinned and glanced at Kol, who stood right behind me. Neither one of them seemed to care about what I had to say, so I gave in and walked up to the bar, ordering a whole bottle of tequila.

I might as well get myself drunk if I had to spend a couple more hours with Kol.

"That's the spirit," Kol said, getting some shot glasses to me. "I believe there's a tradition among humans where one has to empty 18 shot glasses. You can of course share them with us as I don't think you can handle that much alcohol."

"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that," I said even though I pretty much was a lightweight. "I bet I can finish at least 15 of them without your help."

Kol chuckled and raised a brow. "15? Someone's quite optimistic… I wager you'll only be able to drink… hmm, 8?"

I snorted. Clearly, he hadn't seen me when I was completely drunk.

My courage and persistency became twice as big and I tended to underestimate the consequences of my actions when I'd had a little too much.

"I like this girl! She's got spunk," Marcel said, chuckling. "Okay, then. Why don't you two make a bet out of it?"

"You know what, Marcel? That's a great idea," I said, smirking smugly. "If I manage finishing 15 without going cold or vomiting, then you have to apologize for all the shit you've put me through and never bother me ever again."

Kol's lip twitched and he held out his hand for me to shake. "Fine. But if you can't reach your goal, then I win and you have to invite me into your bedroom. Oh, and a kiss would be fantastic too."

I paled at the thought of Kol snooping around in my bedroom and grabbed the first out of the 18 tequila shots on the table.

The tequila went down smoothly with only a hint of a burning sensation in my throat. I licked the salt off my hand and bit down into a lemon, grimacing at the sour taste.

Kol cheered and so did some of the other vampires in the bar, watching me expectantly as I repeated my actions with the second shot.

"Why do you even bother going on that date with what's-his-face? He seems… plain," Kol said, sipping his glass of scotch.

"You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you," I scoffed. "You know nothing about humans and why we do what we do."

"Is that what you believe? Fine. I'll say why I think you're dating him. You think you need him, because he pays you attention. He makes you feel like you're not invisible."

I burst out laughing and downed my third shot, beginning to feel slightly tipsy. "You couldn't be far more wrong. Unlike you, then Kevin was my best friend."

Kol shrugged and leaned close to me. "You'd be surprised if you knew how great guys are at faking a friendship with a girl. They see you as a challenge."

My blood boiled of anger and I struggled to remain calm in my seat. "So basically, the same you're doing? One minute you show your true nature, the other you're pretending to be friendly to me."

Kol smirked mischievously and seemed unfazed by my words. "The only difference between Kevin and I is that I'm honest about what I am and what I want. Don't forget that."

I finished my fourth drink and then my fifth without the salt and lemon. I needed to get away from Kol for a few minutes before I did something reckless.

I walked up to an old jukebox that still seemed to be working and pushed some coins in before choosing _Ring of Fire_ by Johnny Cash.

Several heads turned in my direction, however, I ignored their curious stares and started swaying my hips slowly to the song, needing to let go of my inhibitions.

I returned to Kol as I danced and jumped around on the chairs, downing two more shots while Kol poured more scotch into his glass.

"Enjoying yourself?" Kol asked teasingly.

"Very. It looks like you're going to lose the bet," I replied and downed another glass, beginning to feel drunk. "You know what, Kol? Even if I for some reason find you attractive, then you and I would never happen and you know why that is?"

It was obvious to him that I'd passed the stage where I became brutally honest and he seemed curious about what I would say to him.

"No… why is that, love?" He propped his head on his hand and watched me with an amused expression on his face.

"Because I will _never_ give myself to someone, who doesn't know how to love anyone except for himself."

Kol feigned feeling hurt by my comment and laughed. "You wound me, Beth. You truly do."

I noticed the sarcasm in his voice and wanted to retaliate, so I finished a few more shots till I'd reached the 10th shot and staggered over to a vampire.

I stumbled over my own feet on purpose and made myself land on his lap, which he definitely didn't seem to mind.

"Hello, I'm Beth," I greeted in an overly flirtatious manner to piss Kol off.

It worked perfectly, but Marcel leaned in and whispered something to Kol that made him stay seated and turn his back to me.

"I'm Daniel," the vampire replied. "I thought you belonged to the Original?"

I snorted and laughed, replying loudly: "WELL, I'M NOT! I DON'T BELONG TO ANYONE!"

Daniel laughed and I felt his green eyes all over my body until they fixated on my neck. "Then you won't mind me tasting you, right?"

I gulped down nervously and shook my head, determined to see how far Kol would go before he'd had enough of my behavior.

At first I thought the vampire would bite my neck, but he grabbed my hand and sunk his fangs into my wrist instead, causing me to wince of the sudden pain.

It wasn't nearly as painful as being bitten in the neck, however, I still began feeling lightheaded and even more so because of the alcohol in my system.

Luckily, only a few minutes passed before Kol pulled the vampire off me and threw him out of the window in a fit of rage.

"That's quite enough," Kol said coldly, staring me down with a dark expression on his face. "Do that again and I'll compel you to be mine. Nothing is stopping me as far as I remember."

I tried remaining unfazed and walked back to the bar, shouldering him on my way to the last five shots on the table.

When I attempted finishing my 12th glass, I tasted bile rising in my throat and rushed out to the alley behind the bar.

I didn't care about the fact that I'd lost the bet, because I felt so sick right now from the blood loss and alcohol.

Kol appeared by my side silently and held my hair as I emptied the content of my stomach in a dumpster.

"You suck ass, Kol!" I hissed in between the vomiting.

"Well, now you're just being plain mean. We both know I'm the most awesome vampire you will ever meet," Kol said casually. "I would like to claim that kiss, but I think I'll do it later. You're… really gross right now."

I flipped him off and made him laugh, but once I was finished vomiting, he took me back to the motel room and made me a cup of strange herbal tea.

"This should remove your hangover quickly," he explained and slumped down on the bed beside me. "How does it feel to be 18 so far?"

"Horrible. I can't believe I got wasted and let a vampire feed from me," I said, groaning because my head hurt so much. "I need to sleep."

"Not before you've drunk your tea. It's an old family recipe and always works."

I laughed dryly and saluted him mockingly. "Yes, Mother."

The tea wasn't as bad as it looked and did make my headache more endurable, but the urge to sleep wouldn't vanish.

Once I'd finished the tea, I allowed myself to fall asleep and hoped Kol wouldn't attempt breaking into my dream again.

I should've known better than to fall asleep without ingesting vervain, because he paid my dream a visit as I dreaded he would.

However, he transformed the setting into a peaceful and serene hilltop with a view over a 9th century-version of Mystic Falls.

I was still in my blue dress but wore no shoes and enjoyed the feeling of grass beneath my feet. It reminded me of whenever my brothers and I went on 'adventures' in the woods.

"I grew up here many years ago," Kol said, sitting down beside me. "It hasn't changed much. Still the same dramatic events going on, involving the same supernatural beings."

I snickered. "I find it hard to believe that you were once a human being. I bet you slept with every girl in your village," I said teasingly.

Kol smirked mischievously. "Only half of them. Even I have standards."

"Ha! Keep telling yourself that," I patted his shoulder patronizingly and lied down in the grass, gazing up at the blue sky. "Do you ever miss your brother? Henrik, that is."

I was curious about whether Kol actually cared about his family and watched his facial expression when I mentioned his deceased brother's name.

"No," he said briskly. "If I missed everyone I lost, I'd be a sad man."

Somehow, I found it hard to believe that he didn't miss his brother at all. I would miss mine if one of them died and already missed spending time with them.

"You were somewhat right," Kol admitted reluctantly. "I do hate myself sometimes. But which vampire or human doesn't? I've been around for a very long time."

I sat up again and followed the direction of Kol's gaze. He was looking longingly at the village he once lived in as if he missed it more than anything.

Or perhaps just the life he once had.

"You're still an asshole," I said, trying to lighten his mood. "And I want a rematch. I would've finished those shots if that vampire didn't make me dizzy."

"Well, that's your own fault, isn't it?" Kol replied laughingly. "You owe me a kiss, Miss Dawson. Don't worry. I won't bite."

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "Well, then you better god damn catch me first!"

Running down the hilltop, I headed towards the woods and searched for a decent hiding spot.

I wasn't sure how I was supposed to find one in a dream landscape, but at least I was able to run without becoming tired.

Losing sight of Kol, I decided to stop by an immense white oak tree and hid behind it, looking around for any evidence of Kol's whereabouts.

Several minutes of silence passed until I suddenly heard a twig snap behind me.

As I turned around, Kol pressed me against the tree and crashed his lips onto mine, giving me no chance to escape the passionate kiss.

My body turned rigid at first, but relaxed after a while and returned the fiery kiss.

When Kol sensed my lips moving against his, he pushed his body against mine and trapped me between it and the tree.

My heart was racing inside my chest and all of my self-control had vanished in a split second.

I was positive that Kol was deliberately making me feel this way, because I couldn't find a valid reason to why I would want to desire someone like him.

But the kiss continued for minutes and as I felt his fangs graze my tongue, I instinctively broke the kiss and pushed him away from me.

The reaction jolted me awake and upon finding myself in Kol's embrace, I pushed him out of the bed and felt the resentment towards him return.

"You fucking pervert! Don't you dare do that again!" I growled.

"What's the matter, Bethany? You seemed to be enjoying it," Kol replied, amused by my reaction.

I felt so furious that I wanted to scream, but I focused all of my anger on staking him instead. I broke a chair against the wall, grabbed a broken piece of its leg and charged at Kol.

He allowed me to stake him in the chest and seemed indifferent about the pain I caused him.

"You missed my heart. You need a little more training," he said, pulling it out casually. "I better get you home. You do have a birthday party and date to go to."

Throwing me over his shoulder, he carried me out to his car and dropped me inside it, saying nothing throughout the entire trip home.

I brushed my teeth during the flight and made myself look less hungover, so my parents and brothers wouldn't become suspicious.

As for the bite mark on my wrist, then I had to cover it up with a Band-Aid.

The private jet Kol rented to take us home served some decent food as well, but I was still slightly nauseous.

Letting out a sigh, I stared out of the window and tried forgetting the kiss I'd shared with Kol.

Nothing good came out of pursuing anything with him.

If there was anything between us, it was merely a superficial attraction and hormones that made me have a carnal desire for him.

_It's nothing. Just stupid lust that will vanish once I get on a date with Kevin,_ I thought. _I want Kevin. He's exactly what I need right now._

By the time the plane landed in a private airport near Mystic Falls, I was too eager to get home and wasted no time bickering with Kol.

He parked his car a street from my home to avoid being noticed by my parents and for a good reason.

"I never got to give you your birthday present," Kol said and searched his glove compartment. "It's just a little thing that'll make you remember me."

He pulled out a small box wrapped up in beautiful gift paper and watched me opening it reluctantly.

Inside the box hid an ornate silver key with a gold chain and engraved in the key was two words:

_Kol's Pet_

I raised a brow and eyed him angrily. "Are you serious? I'm not your pet!"

"Not now, yes, but you will be eventually. And when you do, you will need the key to my bedroom."

I snorted and threw the gift at his face before stepping out of the car. I tried walking back to my house quickly, but he stepped in between the car and I.

"That's wasn't very nice of you. I don't invite anyone into my bedroom." He slipped the key around my neck and drove off, leaving me alone on the road.

_Why must he be so difficult all the time?_

I cussed under my breath and walked home to be surprised by my entire family, who'd planned a surprise party behind my back.

Mark was the first to congratulate me and pulled me into a tight hug, which Danny joined – both squeezing the life out of me.

"I. Can't. Breathe," I panted, flailing wildly. "Urgh, let go of me!"

The twins laughed and ruffled my hair in a playful manner. "What? We can't hug our little sister anymore? We haven't seen you in months!" Danny said.

"And you haven't been replying to our text messages or phone calls. But never mind that. I can't believe you're 18!" Mark said, hugging me one more time. "Happy birthday, Beth."

"Thank you, Mark. And you, too, Danny. I'm sorry I haven't replied. My life's been… crazy," I said, eyeing my mother. "I'm glad to see you both though. It's been way too long."

"It has and I hear you and Kevin are going on a date tonight. Rumors do spread fast in this town," Danny shook his head and sighed. "C'mon, sis. You baked the best cake ever for you."

I paled. "Oh my God… You two baked a cake? Mom, why would you let them do that?" I asked teasingly, making my parents laugh.

"Oh, shut up! We're not that horrible. And Mom helped us out a bit…"

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	9. You're Mine

**A/N: Hey hey! Thanks for the reviews and I just need to say quickly that if you have criticism regarding my story or the characters, then please be specific about what you don't like, so I can improve it.**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 9:

It was quarter past six and there was still no sight of Kevin anywhere.

Three times, I'd returned to my bedroom and changed my outfit along with my hairstyle, because I was so excited and anxious about going on a date with him.

Kevin texted me a few minutes ago, saying that someone had punctured the wheels of his car, so he had to borrow his father's car.

However, I received a message just now from him, saying that a cop had made him pull over even though he wasn't speeding and was now searching the car for illegal objects.

A knock on my bedroom window caught my attention as I typed a reply to Kevin, but I ignored Kol's presence and walked downstairs to avoid him.

Luckily, Kevin finally arrived only five minutes later, but neither one of my brothers was particularly pleased about it and interrogated him on the porch.

"Urgh, please don't make us any later than we already are! We have a dinner reservation," I said, pushing them away from Kevin. "Don't wait up for me!"

I hugged both of my brothers quickly and hurried into Kevin's car, feeling too impatient to waste another minute.

Kevin didn't want to waste any time either and hurried to the restaurant, but stayed within the speed limit in case the overly strict cop returned.

"It's so strange," he said as he parked the car outside the restaurant. "I mean, the dude had nothing on me and yet he kept wasting my time."

"Yeah, that is strange… But who would puncture the wheels on your car?" I asked, trying to think of any enemies Kevin could have.

Katie wasn't bold enough to do something like that or probably too weak to stab holes in four wheels without breaking a nail.

_Unless… no, it couldn't have been Kol, could it? That would be low even for him, _I thought and shook my head. _It's probably just some punk._

"Emma told me you were visiting a sick relative in New Orleans today. How did it go?"

Kevin held the door open for me like a gentleman and waited until I'd entered the restaurant before stepping inside as well.

"Yeah, it went… well. Did football training go well today?" I wanted to change the topic of our conversation, so I didn't have to lie more than I already had to him.

"It was fine, I guess. Our coach is driving us hard lately, because we're playing a big game next Friday. I was hoping you'd come and watch me… as good luck, of course." He winked.

Normally, I loathed football and couldn't see the point of it, but I'd gladly come for Kevin's sake and perhaps being there for him would make me change my mind about it.

"Yeah, definitely. I'll be your own personal mascot." I laughed and played nervously with the hem of my blouse.

I never truly understood how Kevin was able to make me feel like a love-struck and overly giggling little girl, but he did mean a lot to me.

And unlike Kol, then he actually treated me right on my own birthday.

We were showed to our table by the window and ordered from the pricy menu, which Kevin promised he'd pay for no matter what.

"What did you get for your birthday then?" Kevin asked while we waited for the dishes. "Something good, I bet."

"Yeah, I got some cool things from by brothers. They've been collecting souvenirs from the countries they visited. My mother gave me this bracelet…" I answered, showing him the gold bracelet I wore with a locket that contained vervain. "… and my father gave me some new books."

_And Kol gave me a damn key to his bedroom. Lucky me (!)_

"I'm happy you were spoiled today. You deserve all of it, Beth. I got you something as well, but…" His gaze turned to the entrance and as I followed his gaze, my heart dropped.

Kol had entered the restaurant in a fancy black suit and his date was a beautiful, model-like blonde-haired woman with a noticeable good figure.

He never glanced my way as they were led to a table right beside ours, but it was painfully obvious that he was attempting to ruin my date.

To make things even worse, then even Kevin was having a hard time keeping himself from checking out the woman.

I tugged my blouse slightly down to expose a bit more of my cleavage and leaned across the table, kissing his cheek softly and gaining his full attention.

He smiled widely and intertwined his fingers with mine, making the butterflies in my stomach going crazy.

"You were telling me about a birthday present you had for me…?" I said breathlessly.

"Um, yeah, I have something special for you, but you have to be patient and wait till the end of the date," he replied, grinning. "Ah, here's our food."

The waitress finally approached us and served our meals, but when she handed me my plate, she accidentally knocked over my glass of coke and spilled it on my blouse.

"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry! I'll get you a new drink for free," she said, looking flustered. "I'm so sorry! I'm usually never clumsy."

"It's totally fine. It happens to everyone," I said, glancing in Kol's direction to find him attempting to hide a smirk.

_If it's a war you want, then a war you will get, you douche!_

I picked up a napkin and started moving it over my cleavage first, making even Kol glance my way to stare at it.

Ignoring Kol's presence as much as I could, we continued the date and spoke about school, work and football.

It grew difficult to ignore Kol's presence though, because his and his date's voices became obnoxiously loud.

They were both getting pretty tipsy and flirting heavily with each other.

"Would you two keep it down? Christ, you're not in a nightclub," I snapped, finally having had enough of them.

"Urgh, you're not the boss of me," the blonde woman said. "Mind your own business."

"What she said," Kol said with his mouth full, pointing towards her. "We're just enjoying our date like you two are."

"Right… Do you even know what her name is?" I retorted.

Kol snorted. "Of course, I do! It's, err, Lizzy…"

His date narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "My name's Lisa. But whatever, just ignore that loser. Even without the stain, she looks horrible."

_Take it easy, Beth. No need to ruin your date tonight because of some dumb chick,_ I thought, forcing myself to ignore her comment.

We were nearly finished eating when I went for a quick trip to the bathroom and was surprised to find Kol in the ladies' room as I stepped out of the cubicle.

"You're unbelievable, Kol. I know you sabotaged Kevin's car and made him late for our date on purpose," I said, turning on the faucet. "Haven't you ruined my birthday enough? Do you enjoy watching me suffer?"

"I've told you why: I don't share my pet with anyone. You're mine, Beth," Kol replied honestly.

I rolled my eyes and washed my hands, turning to face him once I'd dried them. "And what is 'Lisa' doing here then?"

An arrogant smirk formed on Kol's lips. "Why? Are you jealous?"

My cheeks instantly turned red and unfortunately, it was embarrassingly obvious in the bright restroom light.

"No! Why would I be jealous? I just don't want her here."

He raised a brow. "Because Kevin is having a hard time not staring at her? I warned you about him, Bethany. He's not interested in anything besides sex."

Infuriated by his accusations, I left the restroom and hurried back to Kevin, who was doing his best to ignore the obnoxious blonde.

"I think we should leave early and go to the cinema now," I said. "I want to be alone with you. This place is a bit too crowded."

Kevin stood up instantly and called for a waiter to come with the check as Kol returned to his date as well.

Paying for the meals and drinks, we abandoned the restaurant and headed to the cinema even though the movie wouldn't begin until half an hour.

However, I spent the extra time to flirt shamelessly with Kevin and enjoyed being far away from a certain someone.

"I hate to be overprotective, but… nothing's going on between you and Kol, right?" Kevin asked worriedly.

"What? No! God no! I absolutely loath him. He just enjoys pissing me off, that's all," I answered and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry about the drama. I just wanted this date to be perfect."

"He's basically stalking you, Beth. I'll take care of him for you if he continues. You can't let him keep harassing you."

I gulped in fear of what would happen if Kevin did challenge Kol to a fight and quickly shook my head, distracting Kevin with another kiss on his cheek.

"Please don't. Let's not talk about Kol tonight. Please?"

Kevin nodded reluctantly and intertwined his fingers with mine. "I really am happy about being on this date with you, Beth. It's nice having you back again."

Feeling his hand on my thigh, I couldn't stop myself from wondering if Kol was correct about Kevin's intentions and felt uncomfortable being so close to him.

Fortunately, Kol was nowhere to be seen in the cinema when the movie started and I was able to enjoy the rest of my date with Kevin without any distractions.

_Christ, what a dramatic day, _I thought, feeling exhausted and still slightly hungover. _At least I'll never forget my 18__th__ birthday. It was definitely memorable._

As frustrated and infuriated as Kol always made me feel, then he had this uncanny ability to make every meeting with him unforgettable.

Kevin was much sweeter and less problematic to deal with though.

I could predict what he would do and meet his expectations, because I knew what he was like and I hoped, I also knew what he wanted.

Exiting the cinema, we walked back to Kevin's current car and I received a text message from Elena, warning me about some murderer killing members of the founding families.

My mother was a Lockwood before she married my father, so I dreaded that she would be in danger as well.

"I believe I owe you something," Kevin said, opening the trunk of the car. "The stupid cop had to look inside the box, so I'm sorry it's not wrapped in properly."

I raised a brow and approached him, a broad smile forming on my lips when I saw a semi-big box in his hands.

Opening it, I discovered his slightly worn football jacket, which I knew he often wore and loved very much.

"I'm serious about you and I, Beth. I want you to be mine…" Kevin said, placing it on my shoulders.

His hands cupped my cheeks for a moment, and when he leaned down to kiss me tenderly, I could feel my heart beating faster.

I couldn't care less about all the shit I'd been put through today, because it was worth it when I finally felt his lips on mine.

He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss slightly and brushing the tip of my tongue with his.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and felt his lips move down mine, making me let out a soft moan involuntarily.

His fingers slid down to my skirt and traveled up beneath the fabric, sending shivers through my body from the touch.

But when his hand gently squeezed my backside, I forced myself to pull away quickly.

"Sorry. I got a little too excited," Kevin said awkwardly, analyzing my reaction. "I better take you home. It is getting late and I'd rather not piss your brothers off."

I said nothing and merely nodded, following him into the car as I contemplated Kol's accusations of Kevin's intentions again.

Then again, I could just be overanalyzing the situation.

Kevin did give me his jacket and seemed genuinely interested in us being in a serious relationship with each other.

I felt calm again when we reached my home and leaned across the seat to kiss him goodbye before leaving the car.

Waving goodbye as he drove off, I smiled and sighed of satisfaction, then entered the house and found my entire family watching TV in the living room.

They all watched me expectantly as I stepped in and noticed the jacket immediately.

"I'm guessing the date went well then?" Mom asked, smiling.

"Yeah, we had a good time. Kevin invited me to one of his football games," I replied and blushed brightly. "I'm pretty tired. Goodnight everyone."

"Night, sis!" my brothers said in unison.

"Wait, Bethany!" Dad called, following me up the stairs. "There's been some murders in town recently. I don't want you to be scared, but you should stay in at night until we've caught the guy."

I nodded understandingly and embraced my father, not quite sure why I felt the need to do it.

Perhaps I was beginning to understand why he didn't want me to become a vampire hunter, too. It was dangerous and I was nowhere near ready to fight them.

"Goodnight, sweetie." He pecked my forehead and walked back downstairs to my mother and brothers while I walked up to my bedroom.

My blouse reeked of coke, so I changed into my pajamas and prepared to go to bed.

The red and white jacket hung on the chair while I went to toss my stained clothes in the dirty laundry bin, reminding me of the kiss I shared with Kevin.

I returned to find Kol waiting outside my bedroom window and reluctantly opened the window to hear what he had to say.

"What?" I asked in an exasperated tone.

"Invite me inside and I'll tell you," he replied playfully.

Groaning, I reluctantly invited him inside, because a deal was a deal and I was sure he would make my life a living hell if I didn't.

Kol flashed his trademark smirk and stepped inside, glancing around and noticing the jacket.

"Oh, so he's allowed to mark you as his and I'm not? A bit hypocritical if you ask me."

I snorted. "He's not a sociopathic and dangerous vampire."

"Fair enough, but I claimed you first. Don't forget that. Let's see what dark secrets little Miss Moody is hiding…" He approached my bookshelf and searched through the rows of novels, grinning when he found one hidden behind the others.

"Fifty Shades of Grey? Is that the new sex novel I've heard so much about?" he asked teasingly, opening it.

"No! No, give that back to me!" I hissed, grabbing it and shoving it under my bed. "Wipe that stupid smirk off your face."

Kol continued smirking. "Why? I find it adorable that you have a kinky side. Let's see what else is in here."

Opening the second dresser drawer, he found my underwear and picked up one of my bras. "Ohh, 34D? This just keeps getting better and better."

Having had enough of his fooling around, I threw the bra back in the drawer and tugged Kol away from anything embarrassing.

"I didn't give you permission to snoop around in my bedroom and I've got a family of vampire hunters downstairs, so you better get out now," I said grumpily.

"I'm not leaving before I get to give you my real birthday present," he said and swiftly locked my bedroom.

Without a warning, he leaned down to my lips and kissed me passionately like in the dream, but this time it felt much more intense and I was unable to fight back.

Closing my eyes, I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, slightly hesitant around whether I would feel his fangs this time.

They never grazed my tongue though and I never felt Kol's hands touch my body as Kevin's did.

All too suddenly, he pulled away and vanished into the darkness of the night, leaving me feeling breathless and utterly confused.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Was it truly that hard for me to resist playing with fire?

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	10. Wild Child

**A/N: Hellooo! I finally have internet in my apartment, so I figured I'd upload this as fast as possible! **

**Thank you for reviewing and giving me constructive criticism.**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 10:

"How did it go? And describe everything detailed!" Emma demanded, slamming her fist down into the table.

A few cheerleaders, who sat nearby our table, eyed my best friend as if she was insane, but eventually returned to their conversations.

"Okay… um, we went to this nice but expensive restaurant in town and then went to the cinema to watch a horror film, which by the way sucked big time, but we were busy holding hands anyway,"

I paused to watch their facial expressions and couldn't resist the urge to grin as I continued the tale of my date.

"Afterwards, we went to his car in the parking lot and he gave me a birthday present – his football jacket – and then we kissed."

They both squealed loudly and caused the cheerleaders to laugh at us, but neither one of my friends seemed to care.

They were excited on my behalf about the fact that Kevin and I were dating, and despite his previous behavior towards me, then they wished for us to get together.

Of course, I refrained from telling them about how Kol surprised me with a kiss in both my dream and reality, because they needn't know that.

After that kiss, I regretted inviting Kol into my bedroom and hoped Kevin wouldn't find out about it.

Explaining to him that a 1000-year-old vampire kissed me, for only-God-knew-what reason, wouldn't be as easy as it sounded and would definitely scare him away.

Speaking of the Devil…

Kevin walked up to our table and planted a kiss on my cheek, causing the eyes of the cheerleaders to stare in my direction.

I blushed brightly, but enjoyed the fact that Kevin wasn't hiding that we were dating. I met his gaze and smiled widely, unable to hide how happy I was to see him.

However, at the same time, I felt a jab of guilt when I remembered the kiss I shared with Kol and knew that I had to get Kol completely out of my life if I wanted a relationship with Kevin.

Knowing how much Kol enjoyed my company and I his, I knew it would be difficult cutting him out of my life.

He was an asshole and had killed me twice, but he definitely made my life interesting and fuelled my writing with new ideas.

"Can I borrow Beth for a moment, girls?" he asked with a charming smile.

"Of course! Take her!" Kayla exclaimed, pushing me out of my seat a little too eagerly. "But if you don't return her within five minutes, then I'll make your life miserable."

Kevin blinked a few times as he processed the words and silently led me outside to the alley behind the canteen.

His lips found mine fast and surprised me, but they reminded me of how wonderful our date was last night and made me smile afterwards.

"So…" I began, forgetting what I wanted to ask him.

"Sorry, I missed you. Did you like my birthday present?" he asked, glancing at my body because I wasn't wearing it.

"Yeah, I love it. I'm surprised you gave it to me so soon. I mean we have only been on one date," I replied, hoping he wouldn't be offended. "I'm nervous about how Katie will react when she sees it on me."

Kevin chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Since when have you ever cared about what Katie thinks? I want everyone to see it on you."

My cheeks turned a shade redder and I smiled shyly. "Okay then. I'll wear it on Monday. Since when did you get so possessive, eh?"

Now it was Kevin's turn to blush and he placed his hands on my hips to pull me closer to him, so our lips were a few inches from touching.

"Since I fell in love with you, Beth. You're something special."

When he leaned in to kiss me, I kissed him back tenderly and savored every second of it though the touch of his hands on my body did make my heart race.

I felt his hand brush my breast and shifted uncomfortably in his arms.

"I better get back to my friends. You don't want to get on Kayla's bad side," I said teasingly, breaking the kiss. "Mind if I bring my brothers to your game next Friday?"

They'd been pleading me to take them with them, because they once went to Mystic Falls High School, too, and were former footballers as well.

"Yeah, sure. I was thinking we could go somewhere special afterwards. Oh, right. I meant to give you this. I hope you can come."

He pulled a bright yellow flyer out of his pocket and handed it to me, so I could unfold it, and read the bold message about a party happening at the Lockwoods tonight.

"Sure, I'll come. It's been a while since I've mocked my dear cousin," I said, grinning widely.

_My dear cousin who happens to be a hybrid as well thanked to Klaus,_ I reminded myself.

"Great. I'll pick you up at nine and take you there then. Is that okay?" he inquired, grinning as well.

I nodded and he leaned down to peck my lips before we returned to the canteen and parted. I showed the flyer to my friends and invited them as well.

Sadly, Emma had to work late tonight, but Kayla could come and promised to help me get ready for the party.

Despite being related on his mother's side, Tyler and I rarely spoke with each other, but when we did, I usually mocked his personality and he mocked mine.

It'd been going on ever since we were children and he destroyed a dirt/mud castle I'd spent five hours on building.

Shaking that memory out of my mind, I finished my last few classes today and went straight home to pick up a few things before I went to Kayla's home.

"_I attempted snooping around on your laptop, but it seems to be password protected…_" Kol said, startling me.

I was in the middle of picking out a dress from my wardrobe and had my back turned to him, so I never noticed he was here.

"Oh, she's going out? Aren't you a wild child?"

Rolling my eyes, I turned to him and found him lying on my bed casually. Seeing him there with that smug smirk on his face, made me have a flashback of last night's events.

"Don't you have anything better to do? Other girls to stalk?" I asked, frowning.

"I know it's hard to believe, but I'm quite monogamous when it comes to pets. You're the only girl I want to stalk," he answered and winked. "So… about that password?"

I grimaced. "I'm not giving you my password! But I do need to make one thing clear. That kiss we shared last night… it meant nothing. We aren't a… _thing_."

Kol raised a brow and chuckled. "Of course we aren't. I don't do relationships. You are cute and all though."

For some reason, his reply made me slightly disappointed, but when it all came down to the end, then I needed to remember that Kol was just fooling around with me.

"Good. I don't want you to get in the way of my relationship with Kevin. We might get serious and he'll start asking why you keep bothering me."

"I could take care of that for you. Just compel him to deal with it." He sounded completely serious, making me realize that he wasn't going to let go of me.

"Or maybe I could stop being your pet and you could find someone else? I'm sure you can find someone better." I folded my arms, refusing to give up.

Kol swiftly moved towards me and stood in front of me, gazing down into my eyes. "I don't want someone better. I'm quite satisfied with you."

I groaned and started packing a dress, shoes and styling irons in a plastic bag, knowing I was wasting my time with him.

"I'm not your pet, Kol. We're enemies and that's it."

He fell silent and narrowed his brown eyes on my blue ones, making me dread that he was going to do something reckless soon.

The sinister and dark expression on his face had returned, but it vanished as a smirk suddenly formed on his lips.

"You do realize that we being enemies mean I can enter your home and slaughter your family within a few seconds, right?"

"I do. But we'll come back and then make your life miserable." I matched his smirk.

"Yes, but will your sweet friends return to?" Seeing the shocked expression on my face, he vanished and left me on my own.

Wanting to forget about that uncomfortable meeting, I put all of my attention into the party tonight and slipped vervain into Kayla's perfume.

I'd have to do the same with Emma's things, but making it impossible for Kol to compel them wouldn't keep their lives from being taken.

Having chosen dresses, shoes and style of hair, Kevin picked us up and took us to the Lockwood Mansion where people were already partying wildly.

Elena, Caroline, Matt and Bonnie were there as well, trying to distract themselves from the supernatural drama in their lives, I guessed.

Neither one of the Salvatore brothers seemed to be present, which might be a good thing as the last thing the party needed was vampires.

Tyler and Caroline were obviously exceptions since they weren't prone to doing reckless things often… that I knew about.

"Beth! Just the person I didn't want to see tonight," Tyler said teasingly when he noticed me. "Your dad's not gonna come and shut down my party, is he?"

I snorted. "Of course not. Just behave, you dog," I retorted with a smirk.

Tyler rolled his eyes and handed me a beer before leaving to find his friends. I took a sip of the lukewarm beer and grimaced, then handed it to Kevin, who was more of a beer guy.

"Beth, we gotta go dancing!" Kayla squealed, pulling me out on the dance floor eagerly.

Laughing, I followed her and waved goodbye to Kevin to dance with Kayla to a popular dance song.

In between the dancing and partying, I paid Kevin a visit as he spoke with his friends and kissed him, making him smile.

He'd never been much of a dance and more of a socializer, so I didn't attempt forcing him into dancing with me.

One and a half hour into the party, I finally decided have some slightly stronger drinks and asked to do a shot with Kevin.

Although, the shot reminded me too vividly of my birthday and a certain someone, I still did it and tried having a good time.

My God, I truly needed it after everything I'd been through these past weeks.

"Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me," Kevin suddenly blurted, rolling his eyes. "What is that dick doing here? He's not even a student."

I paled instantly and scanned the room for Kol, dreading that he was here to ruin the party, but I soon realized Kevin was referring to a former high school student with a bad reputation.

His name was Eric Maddox and he was a senior last year, who got caught several times with some type of illegal drug on him frequently.

After he was expelled from school, he started inviting himself to parties and sold drugs to minors, who sought a cheap way to get high.

Sadly, not all of his drugs were good and often sent the users to the hospital.

"Just ignore him," I spoke and tugged on Kevin's sleeve. "Let's go outside and get some fresh air. It's hot in here."

"Okay. But I'm beating his ass if he sells more bad drugs to any footballers. We don't need another guy ending up in a coma."

Reluctantly, he followed me outside to the backyard and breathed in the cool and fresh air. It was welcoming compared to the smell of sweat, alcohol and snacks.

I felt Kevin's arms wrap around me from behind and his lips moving down along the side of my neck, his breath smelling heavily of alcohol.

The warmth of his hands on my sides made me shiver of excitement and delight, but also caused my heart to beat faster.

I wasn't used to being touched like this and felt like I was in an unknown territory.

Perhaps I needed to take a chance and allow it to happen, to behave like a normal teenager and not constantly worry about supernatural beings.

Closing my eyes, I felt his hand slipping under the fabric of my dark blue dress and heard a soft moan escape my lips involuntarily.

The alcohol in my system numbed my inhibitions and made me grab his hand, pulling him with me to a remote place near the woods.

Our lips collided into a passionate and fiery kiss, and he pinned me between his body and the tree, holding my hands above my head.

His inhibitions seemed to have vanished as well and it soon became clear to me that he wasn't looking just for a steamy and drunken make out session.

"Kev–" I attempted breaking the kiss several times, but he wouldn't let me and his hands had pushed up my dress to my thighs.

Panicking, I acted impulsively and bit down into his bottom lip, causing him to cry out in agony and pull away from me.

I panted and tasted something metallic in my mouth – his blood.

I never meant to draw blood from him.

I just wanted him to slow down and not take it this far.

Kevin cussed under his breath and walked away, leaving me outside on my own. I was too embarrassed to follow him and hoped I hadn't ruined my relationship with him.

A few minutes later, I returned to the party and nearly walked into Katie on my way into the living room where Kayla was drinking with some guys.

"Here comes the little slut," Katie hissed into my ear. "I saw you walking away with Kevin. He's good, isn't he? A bit rough, but good."

"Oh, shut up, Katie. I'm not a skank like you," I retorted, feeling agitated. "Leave me alone."

She blocked my path and kept me from getting inside. "Just know that I'll be there to watch you weep when he's slept with you and then dumped you."

Finally moving aside, I hurried into the living room and caught Kayla before she tripped over her feet, clearly having drunk way too much in a short amount of time.

"I better get you home," I said worriedly.

"Home? Hell no! We're having so much fuuuunnn! Please, Beth. Wait, where's Kevin?" she asked and started poking random guys, asking them if they were Kevin.

Normally, I would laugh at her drunken behavior, but I was worrying about Kevin and the way we parted.

"Please stay here while I get someone to take us home."

I hoped to find someone, who wasn't drunk or under the influence of alcohol, but my friends were all gone or drunk.

Kevin's car wasn't there anymore either, which made me even more concerned, as he was driving drunk and probably still furious.

Having no idea of what to do, I dragged Kayla outside to the backyard and started calling Kol's name, knowing he was nearby as usual.

It wouldn't surprise me if he'd been stalking us the entire time.

"Kol, don't make me beg! Please, I need your help. I'll… I'll owe you a favor!" I said while Kayla started doing cartwheels on the grass.

"Ermm… Kayla could you not–"

She screamed as she lost her balance and would've landed on her head badly had Kol not caught her swiftly much to my relief.

"Well, hello there you sexy stud! Rauwr!" Kayla said, giggling.

Kol smirked at her random comment and gazed at me with an amused expression on his face while I attempted to keep a straight face.

"Hello back, beautiful. Perhaps you've had enough to drink tonight," he said. "Where's your car?"

"We don't have one," I replied, blushing. "We… got a ride from Kevin."

Kol seemed unfazed by my response and merely glanced around. "And where's he?"

My cheeks turned redder and I forced myself to look past my injured pride. "He left us. I got into an argument with him and he took off."

I expected a smartass comment from Kol or a smug smirk on his face, but he remained indifferent. "Why don't you call your parents or brother then?"

"Why all these questions? Can't you take us home? Pretty please?" Kayla asked, batting her eyelashes cutely at him.

Kol chuckled and gazed at me. "Because Beth doesn't want me to be a part of her life. According to her we're enemies," he replied.

"Don't you think I would've called someone if I could? My brothers are visiting their old college friends and I'm _not_ telling my parents I'm at a party."

Shrugging, Kol set Kayla down on the grass and approached me as he folded his arms, his facial expression remaining emotionless.

"That's a shame, but it's your problem. Not mine."

I had to admit that it stung when he suddenly acted like this, but I did deserve it after saying that I wanted him gone.

"Please, Kol. I'll owe you a big favor. I just need to get Kayla home and–" I glanced briefly in Kayla's direction and found her running in full speed towards the woods.

Luckily, Kol was swift enough to stop her and brought her back to me.

She needed to vomit from the quick movements, so I helped her to a bush and held her air, wishing I hadn't snuck off with Kevin.

This wouldn't have happened if I'd just stayed with her and kept an eye on her.

"I don't care what I have to do. Just please help me bring her home," I pleaded.

"Be my pet," Kol replied calmly. "Let me feed from you when I need it and entertain me. That's all you have to do."

_Christ, he wasn't giving up on that any time soon,_ I thought.

"Okay, okay, I'll be your pet. Can we just please go now?" Kayla finished vomiting and yawned, looking like she was about to pass out cold soon.

"Of course. Follow me, _pet,_" He picked up Kayla before she passed out and carried her to a remote area where no one could see us. "Jump up on my back and hold on tight."

I frowned, but did as told and jumped up on his back, wrapping my legs and arms around him.

A shriek escaped my lips as he suddenly dashed through the forest to the other side of the town where Kayla lived.

It went so fast that even I became a little dizzy and nauseous, but at least it didn't take that long for us to arrive at her home.

As much as I loathed Kol sometimes, then he was helpful and loyal underneath his wickedness.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	11. A Horrible Liar

**A/N: I completely forgot to upload the chapter I'd written a few days ago... *facepalms* Sorry about that.**

**Thanks for the reviews though! I really appreciate them.**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 11:

I purposely avoided Kevin in school today, but rumors about me sneaking away with him at the party had spread like wildfire thanked to Katie.

Now everyone was staring at me and whispering things to each other, things about me having lost my virginity to Kevin and about having had an affair with him while he and Katie were together.

I didn't know whether to find it all entertaining or horrific.

However, once I went to work at the Grill, I began forgetting about the rumors and was distracted by a brooding Alaric sitting at the bar.

"Hey, Alaric. Something wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Oh, hey Beth. I don't know if you've heard, but I'm being suspected for having killed those council members," he answered, chuckling dryly. "Sheriff Forbes arrested me earlier today."

I frowned. "But that's absurd. Why would you go around killing them like that? Someone must be framing you if anything."

"I hope that's the case. I've had blackouts and don't remember where I was at the time of the killings."

"Don't worry. I'm sure they'll get to the bottom of it. But shouldn't I get you a cup of coffee instead of you drinking in the middle of the day?"

He smiled weakly and nodded, thanking me.

As I made some fresh coffee for him, I noticed the one person I'd been avoiding all day and recalled how we nearly did went too far last week.

Kevin headed straight towards me when he noticed me and seemed to have returned to his usual calm, composed and sweet self.

"Beth, can we speak privately for a moment? Please?" he asked, burying his hands in his pockets.

"Sure. I just need to serve some coffee," I replied anxiously.

After serving Alaric a cup of strong, black coffee, I went out to the alley behind the Grill with Kevin and dreaded what he was going to say.

"I'm sorry about your lip," I blurted before he could speak. "I panicked."

It was healing up well, but it was still quite noticeable.

"About that… I deserved it. I pushed you too far. I didn't know you were… inexperienced," he said, frowning. "I'm so sorry I left like that. I have a short temper when I'm drunk."

"I noticed…" I sighed and embraced him, missing feeling his arms around me. "It's fine, but let's just take things a bit slower, yeah?"

Kevin nodded and planted a kiss on my lips that made my heart beat a little faster. "I hope you'll still come to my game on Friday. I need my lucky charm."

I giggled. "I'll come. But are you sure you're okay with waiting for me? I just don't want to rush it."

"Of course I'm fine with it. Just let me know when to stop next time we get drunk and sneak away to make out." He grinned boyishly and I rolled my eyes, punching his arm lightly.

"I gotta get back to work, but could you please talk with Katie? She's being a bitch as usual and spreading rumors."

Kevin groaned. "Yes, I'll talk with her. She's unbelievable sometimes."

Nodding in agreement, I pecked his lips and returned to work before my bossy manager noticed that I was missing.

The rest of the Monday afternoon went pretty slow and there weren't a lot of customers, so I was allowed to leave early.

My brothers were home after their quick trip to Duke University and acted as if they were teenagers living at home again.

It was mildly amusing to watch them eating cereals while watching their favorite TV shows in the morning.

"I'm home!" I called out, finding Danny on the couch. "Where's your evil twin?"

"He's working with Dad today," he replied without taking his eyes off the TV. "Oh, c'mon! That was totally offside!"

I glanced at the TV and rolled my eyes when I realized he was watching soccer.

If there was something I knew for sure, then it was what Danny was impossible to talk with during a soccer game.

Walking upstairs to my bedroom, I slumped down on my bed and started on my homework.

Our dear Biology teacher found it necessary to make us read 25 pages about reproduction for tomorrow's test about it.

_God, someone please kill me so I don't have to read this stuff…_

"_Oh la la, that looks quite interesting,_" Kol spoke, suddenly sitting next to me. "Vampires can't reproduce. We do enjoy sex anyway."

"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" I said, rolling my eyes. "You're not here to feed from me, are you?"

Kol shrugged. "Maybe. I haven't had a taste of your blood in some time now and I'm quite hungry. You decide where you want me to bite you."

Groaning, I showed him my wrist as I remembered it being less painful and felt him sink his fangs into my flesh quickly.

I flinched at first, but relaxed after a while and watched him feed off me.

When he tasted that I hadn't ingested any vervain, he bit harder and drained me faster, causing me to feel lightheaded but not weak.

He didn't take too much, but a part of me wished he had so I could feel his touch for a bit longer.

_What the hell? Where did that come from? I shouldn't like being drained by a vampire._

I returned my gaze to the thick textbook on my lap and wrote down notes every now and then, trying to ignore the fact that Kol was staring at me.

"Why are you still here? I'm studying," I said grumpily.

"I adore your enthusiasm whenever I'm around," Kol replied sarcastically. "I'm bored. Entertain me, pet."

"I have a name, you know."

"Fine, fine, entertain me _Beth. _Ha! Pet… Beth… it rhymes." Kol laughed and I couldn't resist the urge to laugh as well despite it being ridiculous.

However, Danny suddenly opened the door to my bedroom and stepped inside, so our laughter stopped abruptly and Kol vanished into my wardrobe.

"Mom and Dad are at a council meeting. I'm gonna go too with Mark. Will you be fine on your own?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna study, eat and then go to bed. Is it about the recent deaths?" I answered, hoping he'd tell me more.

My mother had told them as well as my father about what I knew and even though my father wasn't fond of it, then he seemed impressed by how I was handling it.

My brothers on the other hand…

"Nah, it's a boring mandatory meeting. Nothing you need to worry about," he lied. "No need to stay up for us. It'll be late."

I sighed as he left the house and gazed at Kol as he stepped out of my wardrobe with a raised eyebrow.

"Do everyone in your family lie that obviously to you?" he asked, snorting.

"Yeah, unfortunately. But it's mostly my brothers. They can't accept that I'm an adult now," I answered and decided to close my textbook. "Were your siblings always like… they are now?"

Kol ignored my question and started rummaging through my dresses, searching for something in particular.

When I opened my mouth to ask him what he was searching for, he tossed a short, low-cut red dress to me that I'd never worn along with a pair of black stilettos.

"Put that on and meet me outside in 10 minutes," he ordered more than said. "I'll be a gentleman and wait outside."

Leaving my bedroom, I frowned and tried comprehending what just occurred.

Did he seriously expect me to–

"_Seven minutes left, Bethany!_" Kol shouted from outside my room.

Frantically, I quickly undressed and slipped on the tight dress one of my cousins let me have, because it'd become too small and tight on her.

It clung to my curves, and made me embarrassingly self-conscious, but I remaining calm and slipped the stilettos on as well, quickly running my fingers through my hair to make it look somewhat decent.

The door opened as the 10 minutes had passed exactly and Kol whistled approvingly, a mischievous smirk forming on his lips.

"I knew it'd look great on you. Now c'mon or we'll miss it," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me downstairs.

"Miss what? Where are we going?" I asked, wondering why I was listening to him.

"To a party, of course," he answered matter-of-factly. I need to make a quick stop at my home, but I won't take long. Then we're going to a college party."

"Aha… But neither one of us go to college!"

Kol burst out laughing as if I'd told him a joke and ushered me into his car that was parked near my house, driving like a madman to his home.

I had to hold on to the dashboard to keep myself from flying into him whenever he made a sharp and highly illegal turn.

We arrived at the grand mansion eventually without a scratch and I followed him inside to find his siblings home, all except for Elijah and Finn.

"Well, this is so not awkward," I blurted, not knowing what to say. "I just want to point out that I'm _not_ dating Kol or involved with him in any romantic or sexual way."

Rebekah raised a brow and giggled, dashing swiftly towards me and stopping right in front of me so fast that I flinched.

"Oh, we know. But does Kol know that? Normally, he doesn't keep a pet around for long," she said and gave me a once-over. "And I'm wondering why he's keeping you around."

I grimaced and decided to search for Kol, but Klaus blocked my path when I reached the hallway.

"Your mother is a Lockwood, isn't she?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah… what's it to you?" I answered suspiciously.

"Oh, just plain curiosity. I find it intriguing to research some people's linage. That ring you're bearing, for example, is more than 200 years old. Its first owner was a woman named Vanessa Cole, who married the first Lockwood."

I raised a brow. "Why are you telling me that?"

He smirked darkly and gazed up at Kol, who stood outside his bedroom, having just locked the door behind him.

Kol wore a casual but attractive outfit that enhanced his allure and sex appeal immensely.

"We're going out, brother. Don't wait up for me," he said with a smirk, pulling me with him back outside to his car.

_Cryptic messages seem to run in this family,_ I thought, shaking my head a little.

My ring bore the initials V.C. on the inside, which I already had asked my mother about, and all she'd told me was that Vanessa supposedly came from a family of vampire hunters.

The drive to Duke University was short but crazy due to Kol's horrible skills at driving and the police stopped us at least three times – all of which Kol compelled to leave.

The raging college party was hard to miss with its loud music, the screaming girls running around drunkenly while the guys did drinking games.

Kol smirked with a look of intent gleaming in his eyes and he seemed a bit too eager to get inside with me.

I stopped him outside the front doors though and pulled my hand out of his grasp.

"Would you mind telling me what we're really doing here? I know we're not just here to party. You might be impulsive, but you're not _that_ impulsive," I said, glaring at him.

"And how do you know that? You know nothing about me," he replied, smirking darkly. "Now get inside and have fun with me."

I shook my head and stepped away from him. "No."

"No? Why would you say no to _that_?" He waved his hand at the wild party. "You rarely let go of your inhibitions and I'm tired of it. I want to see the wild Beth I saw in New Orleans."

I folded my arms and remained. "Answer one question honestly and I will."

Kol rolled his eyes and held his hands up in defeat. "Fine, fine, what is it?"

Taking a deep breath, I gathered the courage to ask him a question I'd been thinking about for days, dreading the answer he would give me.

"Why did you kiss me at the night of my birthday?" I asked, my heart racing inside my chest.

That kiss must've meant something to him, because the way he acted towards me when I spent time with Kevin, reminded me of the behavior of a jealous man.

"Because you owed me one, of course," he replied, but it sounded like a lie. "Shall we go inside? Or would you like to re-experience the kiss? I have been known to be an excellent kisser."

"I might not be a vampire, but you're a horrible liar, Kol." I pushed one of the front doors open and walked towards the crowd of dancing college students.

Kol claimed to always be honest about his intentions, but it was clear that he was lying about that and possibly also other things.

A random guy handed me a plastic cup with a strong liquid inside and pecked my cheek before hurrying off to grope a girl's ass.

She slapped him hard across his face, but he merely laughed and continued, reminding me slightly of Kol if he lost his inhibitions.

Speaking of the Devil…

I drank every drop of the cup when I found Kol surrounded by three college girls that were dressed in tight and short clothes.

Obviously, it wasn't that difficult for him to find entertainment, so why bother bringing me along in the first place?

I cussed under my breath and grabbed a second plastic cup, emptying the contents of it in my mouth and beginning to feel the alcohol affecting me slightly.

By the time I reached my third drink, I wandered over to a group of guys playing a drinking game and couldn't resist the urge to cheer along.

Kol approached the table as well and decided to join in on the next round, shouting before they started swallow gallons of beer: "_If I win, you owe me a dance!_"

Rolling my eyes, I watched him in action and was surprised by his ability to drink every drop of the beer much faster than everyone else was.

The audience that surrounded the contestants broke out into cheers and clapping, patting Kol on his back as if he were one of their friends.

"Guess you owe me a dance then," he said, looking halfway drunk. "C'mon! I know you want to."

"I don't owe you shit. Go dance with one of those bimbos. They obviously want to more than I do," I hissed, having had enough of him and his cryptic behavior.

Kol was bad influence on me and no matter how good it felt to have fun with him, then it wouldn't change the fact that he was turning my life upside down.

And it scared me to not know where any of this was leading.

I finished my fourth drink and staggered towards the exit, suddenly feeling woozy and sleepy.

I'd been so pissed off at Kol that I hadn't been careful about taking drinks from strangers and now something was affecting me.

I made it to the back entrance before my vision became blurry and I needed to lean against the wall to keep my balance.

Someone approached me and touched my body, but I couldn't make out if it was Kol or someone else and pulled myself out of their grasp.

Lying down on the cold ground, I watched as another hazy figure appeared in front of me and then a scream sounded, followed by an unnatural silence as I passed out.

Hours seemed to have passed, because when I woke up in my bed, it was eerily silent and pitch black outside.

I tasted blood in my mouth and it definitely wasn't my own.

Sitting up in my bed, I found Kol sat by my desk, watching me silently and fidgeting with anxiously with the hem of his blood splattered shirt.

"Christ, what happened? Did I get hurt?" I asked, glancing at my own clothes.

They were stained with a few drops of blood and dirt, but it didn't look like anything serious happened to me.

"No, some bastard spiked your drink and tried fondling you, so I taught him a lesson. I gave you some of my blood to get the drug out of your system," he answered and groaned. "I'm leaving Mystic Falls for an unknown period of time, so I won't get you in trouble anymore."

I blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what he said.

Kol was leaving town?

It shouldn't sadden me as much as it did, but I felt an unexplainable ache in my heart that I did my best to ignore.

I should be happy and grateful that he was leaving, but no part of me wanted him to leave.

Perhaps it was because I enjoyed his company and unpredictable moods.

"Why are you leaving town?" I asked, needing to know the reason.

"My brother wants me to take care of a few… errands for him," Kol replied and stood up. "I would invite you along, but I hardly think you'll approve of what I'll be doing."

I rolled my eyes and approached him, still feeling a bit woozy. "Is that why you took me out tonight? You should've told me."

Kol raised a brow. "Would you have acted differently? I know you loath me and think you're in love with that licentious footballer."

"I don't loath you…" I blushed when I admitted that and even more so when I noticed the self-satisfied grin on his face. "What I mean is that I tolerate you."

His expression softened and he glanced at the clock, frowning. "I better go. You should check your Biology textbook."

"Wait, Ko–"

He vanished before I could finish the sentence, so I sighed heavily and closed the window.

On my desk, laid my Biology textbook and inside it hid several good notes that would be helpful for the test tomorrow.

I figured Kol wrote them while I was out and felt guilty about becoming so mad at him tonight.

_Asshole,_ I thought. _Why does he have to make me so confused?_

I groaned quietly and decided to change into my pajamas, heading straight to bed to continue sleeping and getting some rest.

My life was definitely going to be calmer and more normal now that Kol was leaving town, but I wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse yet.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	12. Vanessa Cole

**A/N: Ehhh, I'm afraid I'll have to update only once a week from now on due to college taking over my life ._. **

**Thank you for reviewing and giving me new ideas!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 12:

It was windy on the night of the monthly football game, but Kevin's jacket kept me warm and sheltered me from the chilly breeze.

My brothers were screaming at the top of their lungs as the Mystic Falls High School football team was in the lead, completely immersed in the game.

I sat between them and covered my ears whenever they cheered a bit too loudly, but enjoyed watching Kevin wave to me every now and then.

Whenever I wasn't paying attention to the game, I thought about Kol and what errands he was referring to.

Perhaps there were any clues in his bedroom…

I clutched the key that hung around my neck and gazed at it in my palm, wondering what secrets hid in that bedroom of his.

What was so important inside the bedroom that he trusted me with a key to it?

Tomorrow or before the end of tonight, I was going to figure it out.

The Mystic Falls football team won the game in the last few seconds, which meant that Kevin was in an exceptionally good mood tonight.

He ran up the bleachers and kissed me softly, sweat trickling down his slightly red cheeks.

"Ew, you stink," I said teasingly after kissing him back. "Congratulations. I can't believe you managed scoring in the last seconds."

"Me neither, but it was solely for your sake. I was hoping to get a reward later," he said flirtatiously and grinned. "I'm gonna go shower. Meet me by my car in 15 minutes?"

"Yeah, sounds good." I pecked his lips and watched him walking away, frowning afterwards because a certain vampire returned to my mind.

I'd been on a few more dates with Kevin since Kol left and although they went perfectly, then they just seemed… different.

Like something had changed.

"Oh oh, I know that look," Danny said as we walked to the parking lot. "You're unhappy. Why is that Beth?"

I blushed brightly and shook my head, replying: "I'm not unhappy. I just have a lot on my mind lately."

Danny sent Mark a knowing look and they both frowned.

Sometimes it truly annoyed me that they were twins and seemed to be having a telepathic conversation about me without me knowing it.

"Have either one of you ever befriended a vampire before? And don't act like you don't know they exist," I said when we reached the car.

Both of my brothers stopped walking abruptly and stared at me wide-eyed as if I'd told them something horrific.

"Vampires aren't capable of befriending people, Beth," Mark admitted. "They don't care about humans. They just care about their needs and will manipulate to get satisfaction."

"Why do you ask? You haven't befriended a vampire, have you?" Danny asked worriedly.

I opened my mouth to reply and sighed, shrugging. "No, of course not. I'm just curious… I mean what if they are capable of living normal lives? And don't hurt people?"

Mark grimaced. "There's nothing normal about their life. They drink blood to survive. They're like parasites."

I wanted to defend the few good vampires I did know, but if I did that my brothers would begin hunting them down.

"I'm sorry, but I just refuse to believe that. There's good in everyone. I mean humans can be worse than vampires."

"You wouldn't say that if you'd experienced what we have," Danny said.

"Well, that's not really my fault, is it? You've all kept this secret from me for ages." I huffed and abandoned them by the car to go somewhere private.

My brothers' intentions were good, but they sounded like hardcore vampire hunters and wouldn't give any vampires a chance.

Of course, Kol had made mistakes and deserved punishment for it, however, he didn't even ask to become this creature.

_My God… I'm actually defending Kol now,_ I thought and shook my head. _He's getting under my skin. That's what happening._

Returning to the parking lot, I waited by Kevin's car and focused on him when he finally emerged from the dark shadows, his hair still wet from the shower, but clean and looking good.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting," he said, pecking my cheek. "Let's get out of here."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" I asked, giggling.

Kevin grinned and shook his head, then unlocked his car so we could both get inside. His car was spotless, smelled nice and warmed my cold fingers up quickly.

He searched for something in his pocket and muttered a swearword when he realized he was missing something.

"Ah, Christ. I forgot my cell phone in the locker-room. I will be right back, I promise," he said, pecking my cheek quickly. "Don't go anywhere."

I stayed in the car and waited patiently as he ran back towards the locker-room, turning on the car stereo to replace the silence with music.

Feeling partly bored, I opened the glove compartment and looked through Kevin's cluster of random things.

Among the things was a box of condoms that looked pretty new.

I rolled my eyes and closed the glove compartment again, wondering if those condoms were meant to be used tonight or if he was stocking up for later.

When Kevin finally returned with his cell phone, he drove quickly to a specific spot near the woods and parked the car.

"Where are we going?" I asked with a hint of suspicion in my voice.

"To the waterfall," Kevin replied, opening the door for me. "Don't worry. I won't push you into anything you aren't ready for. I respect you, Beth."

I sighed quietly and stepped out of the car, wondering if the nagging feeling inside me would vanish.

Just then, my phone started vibrating and an unknown number appeared on the screen.

I frowned and answered it: "Hello?"

Silence replied in the first couple of minutes, so I stepped a few feet away from Kevin and lowered my voice.

"Kol? Is it you?"

"_Maybe. Maybe not,_" he replied, sounding slightly sad. "_I just felt like checking what my pet is doing. How did the Biology test go?_"

"Good. I… got an A," I smiled weakly. "Thank you for the notes. I…" I glanced at Kevin and noticed that he was getting impatient. "I have to go. I'm out with Kevin."

Kol laughed dryly. "_Of course, you are. Be careful. I don't like the way he looks at you._"

If I didn't know better, I'd think Kol was in love with me based on the way he always seemed so possessive of me.

But I reminded myself that Kol wasn't interested in me that way.

A vampire with his confidence surely would've told me if he was interested ages ago. Our relationship was strictly platonic and perhaps it was also better that way.

Nothing good could come from getting involved with an Original.

"I'll be fine, Kol. Bye." I hung up and returned to Kevin, following him into the woods.

Finding a perfect spot near the waterfall wasn't difficult, because we'd been there many times before when we used to be best friends.

We would go swimming, fishing or just explore the territory for anything unusual.

I no longer felt like the same girl he befriended years ago, though.

"This is nice, isn't it? You and I, back here again," Kevin said, smiling. "Let's sit."

Following him to the bank of the river, we sat down closely together and watched as the moon became visible behind the dark clouds in the sky.

"You're so beautiful, Beth. I'm so glad you're mine," he said, kissing my hand. "Is that creepy guy still bothering you?"

That creepy guy was in Denver right now, doing only God knew what.

"Nah, I'm good," I replied and rested my head on his shoulder. "So we're truly a couple now?"

"You betcha." He grinned and leaned down to my lips, kissing them softly at first.

I returned the kiss and grasped his shirt to pull him closer to me, needing to replace my worries with positive thoughts.

His hands wandered down my body and squeezed parts of me that made me blush.

As the kiss deepened, an image of Kol appeared in my mind, so I broke the kiss and wanted to slap myself for thinking about him again.

"Let's celebrate my win tonight," Kevin pulled out a hip flask from his pocket and took a swig of it before handing it to me.

"But aren't you driving tonight?" I frowned, sniffing the flask. It smelt like bourbon.

"It's just one drink, Beth. C'mon. We can walk home if we get too drunk."

My frown deepened and I shook my head 'no', then handed the flask back to him.

I stood up and so did he, looking bewildered. "I lose my inhibitions when I get drunk and so do you. But I'm sure you already knew that."

Kevin groaned and tugged on my hand, attempting to pull me closer to him. "I'm not trying anything, Beth! Why are you so god damn suspicious of me all the time?"

I snorted sarcastically. "Oh, so you weren't planning on having sex with me tonight? I saw the condoms, Kevin."

His cheeks turned red when he realized I'd found them and he pushed me away roughly, causing me to fall hard and split my lip.

"Katie was fucking right about you. You're a pathetic loser, Bethany. I mean, what girl today is still a virgin?"

His words were like daggers in my heart, but a part of me wasn't surprised.

I wasn't the only one who'd changed since we used to be friends, but it seemed Katie's influence on Kevin still lingered.

"Well, excuse me for not being a whore like Katie!" I said, rising from the ground. "You're the pathetic one, Kev. Not me."

Pulling off his jacket, I threw it at his face and shivered a little as a breeze passed our way.

"But none of it matters anyway. Everyone thinks I nailed you at Tyler's party and on Monday, they'll be talking about how I nailed you again tonight."

He flashed a dark smirk and picked his jacket up, leaving me in the darkness again.

It wouldn't be long before it started raining, so I decided to walk to the Mikaelson Mansion, as it wasn't that far away from the waterfall.

I couldn't get myself to call my brothers or parents, dreading that the tears brimming in my eyes might escape soon.

I wasn't sure what pissed me off the most; the fact that Kol was completely right about Kevin's intentions or that Kevin was an asshole in disguise.

Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself down and blocked the painful emotions.

My lip had stopped bleeding when I reached the mansion, but I was positive the scent of fresh blood would draw the attention of one of the Originals.

I knocked on the front door a few times and waited for several minutes.

No one came to open the door, so I pulled on the handle and realized the door wasn't even locked.

It seemed a little dangerous walking into their home uninvited, but it was that or getting soaked outside and catching a cold.

However, no one appeared to be home at the moment and it gave me an idea.

I had the key to Kol's bedroom.

I could peek and see what hid behind that locked door…

_Are you insane? You shouldn't be entering an Original's bedroom,_ I thought.

The curiosity and temptation was too great for me to resist, though, and I soon found myself unlocking the door to Kol's bedroom.

What I discovered was… mildly disappointing.

His bedroom appeared like all the other bedrooms and nothing odd stood out. I approached the human-size mirror and grimaced at the sight of my split and swollen lip.

In my mirror reflection, I spotted a keyhole in the wall just below a painting of a beautiful 19th century woman with little clothes on.

I decided to examine the strange keyhole and inserted my key to see if it fit.

The lock slipped open and as I pushed the wall, a hidden door opened to reveal another room – a small and personal library.

A few paintings of Kol through the centuries hung on the walls, giving me a glimpse of his life during each century except for one.

One painting contained a woman, who appeared slightly familiar to me.

I brushed the dust off the golden nameplate and gasped, nearly knocking over an ornament as I started walking backwards.

"_Vanessa was a strikingly beautiful model,_" Klaus said, causing my heart to leap. "I truly do not understand what Kol saw in her. Then again – he did always love danger."

Glancing back and forth between Kol and my ancestor Vanessa Cole, realization struck me and I groaned quietly.

Great, Kol had a thing with my great-great-great grandmother (!)

"But I don't understand. She was a hunter. Why would she–"

"Why not? You and she are a lot alike. You both enjoy danger and are able to see through Kol's façade. Perhaps that's why Kol can't stay away from you."

I wasn't sure how to react to this.

Was this truly why Kol wanted me as his pet? Did he know I was related to Vanessa?

"When a hunter dies with the resurrection ring, they lose a part of themselves in it. Miss Cole died quite a lot and it drove her crazy. Kol was… well, as close as you can come to heartbroken."

"Why are you telling me all of this? You don't seem particularly fond of me…"

Klaus smirked darkly and approached me slowly. "Let's just say Vanessa was the reason I ended up having to dagger him. I don't want history to be repeating."

He glanced at the key in my hand and shrugged, then walked out of the room as if he hadn't completely screwed up my relationship with Kol.

I gazed at the painting of the woman known as Vanessa Cole and noticed the familiar resurrection ring on her finger.

Perhaps it was time for me to talk with Alaric again…

However, first, I needed to call a taxi and get back home before my parents or brothers became worried.

I "borrowed" three old journals I found in the library and took them home with me, hoping I'd be able to figure out what Kol was really like.

The first journal I opened was from Vanessa's time and written beautifully by, whom I guessed was Kol.

One entry in particular caught my attention, because it was about Vanessa's wedding day.

"_Jacob Lockwood insisted the wedding happened this month although I am far from prepared to start a new life. To say that I am nervous is a mild understatement. Father believes Jacob will make a great hunter and that our children will be hunters as well. I hope they will not. The truth is that I despise hunting vampires as if they were animals…_"

Wait a minute… This didn't belong to Kol at all, but Vanessa.

"_Kol paid me a visit earlier this morning – said it was foolish of me to marry Jacob when I did not love him. I suppose he was right as he was about everything else, however, I cannot live the rest of my life as a vampire either. I cannot live forever with any sense of what is right and wrong. He deserves someone, who dares sacrificing everything for him. Even her life._"

It was becoming obvious to me that Vanessa and I shared many opinions - only this entry was written _before_ she became crazy.

I couldn't answer whether the ring affected me or not to feel that way... or made me feel crazy.

_God damn it, Kol! Why did you have to attack me that night?_

Since that day, I'd never been the same.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	13. Damage

**A/N: Hello! **

**Thanks for the lovely reviews and constructive criticism. I shall make sure that this story is worth reading! **

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 13:

_-I need to speak with you._

_It's about Vanessa._

_Call me soon.-_

Biting down on my bottom lip, I sent the text and nervously waited for Kol to reply.

His sister had kindly revealed to me that Kol was befriending Elena's brother in Denver in exchange that I told her which qualities Matt favored in girls.

Fearing that Jeremy was in danger, I therefore decided to join Elena and Damon as they went to pay her brother a visit in Denver without revealing why I was going.

The last thing I needed was them daggering Kol when I needed answers and I hoped I could convince Kol into leaving Jeremy alone.

It was also an excellent excuse to get away from the rumors and the smug expression on Katie's face whenever she and Kevin walked through the hallways together.

Yup, they were back together, but I could tell Katie still pissed Kevin off.

"Did you speak with Alaric about the ring?" Elena asked worriedly while Damon drove silently.

"Yeah and based on how his ring affected him, I think it's safe to assume that the same will happen to me if I'm not more careful," I answered, sighing.

It saddened me to know that Alaric was in fact behind the murders, but it was solely because he'd died so many times with the ring on.

A dark spirit of sorts was taking over his mind and he couldn't stop it.

Seeing him going slowly crazy, made me realize that the same thing occurred to Vanessa after she married Jacob Lockwood and continued hunting with her family.

There was one time she and Kol met up while she was possessed by the darkness and she wrote down that she'd attempted killing him the second she saw him.

"The best way to avoid ending up as Alaric is by staying away from the supernatural," Damon said as if it was the easiest thing to do. "Let's face it. You're not fit to defend yourself anyway."

I rolled my eyes. "Says the vampire, who occasionally gets drunk and fights Originals. By the way… do you have a death wish?"

Damon smirked mischievously. "Touché."

"Don't listen to him, Beth. I mean you should try avoiding it. You don't want to start losing the ones you care about," Elena said. "Did you tell your parents where you were going?"

"No, I told them I was having a movie night and sleepover at yours. No need for them to get involved in this."

Elena sent me a smile and returned her attention to the road.

I received a reply from Kol at last and made sure that neither one of the two supernatural beings in front of me saw the text.

_-I'll meet up with you._

_Where are you?-_

It was a risky move to meet up with him where we were going to pick up Jeremy, but I couldn't wait till later.

_-I'm on my way to Denver._

_Meet me at the batting cages this afternoon._

_We're picking up Jeremy and yes, I know that's why you're there.-_

We drove straight to the batting cages once we arrived in Denver and it took every inch of my self-control to keep my heart from racing the entire time.

Damon did gaze at me suspiciously a few times, but since I was barely giving anything away, he never questioned me.

As we walked towards Jeremy at the batting cages, I felt slightly calmer and focused on helping my friends finding out which Original started their bloodline.

The mere thought of it was surreal, but I should be getting used to this by now.

Unfortunately, Kol couldn't resist the temptation to show up blatantly with the usual smug smirk on his lips that I used to loathe seeing.

Elena's eyes widened at the sight of him, but before she could warn Damon, Kol had swung his baseball bat at Damon's head and knocked him down.

"Kol, you asshole! Don't hurt him!" I screamed, helping Damon up.

"Sorry, love, but he deserves it. Glad to see you here though," Kol said, winking. "It's been awfully boring without my pet."

I blushed when Elena reacted to his words and stared in shock at me, however, I had no time to explain myself.

Kol attempted hitting Damon with an aluminum bat, so Damon picked up a broken piece of his previous weapon and staked him.

I instantly gasped and rushed to Kol, rolling him over to his side to see if he was still alive or not.

"So this is why you wanted to come with us? You two have a thing going on?" Damon asked, pointing at both of us.

"We don't have a 'thing' going on! I'll explain everything to you later. I have some questions for Kol and you three need a head start, so go. I'll keep him occupied," I retorted.

"But he can kill you, Beth!" Elena exclaimed worriedly.

I shrugged. "I have my ring. I'll return if he does. No please go. I can handle him."

She hesitated but nodded and rushed her brother out of the place while I attempted dragging Kol somewhere less public.

My back and arms were aching by the time I reached a utility shed, but I got him inside just in time before he started waking up.

Groaning, he ripped the piece of wood out of his heart and glanced around, a mischievous smirk forming on his lips.

"Just the pet I was looking for! Mind giving me some blood?" Kol asked, rubbing his slowly healing chest.

"How about I hit _you_ in the head with a bat?" I retorted furiously. "I can't believe you showed up like that and just attacked Damon!"

Kol shrugged and stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "Someone's in a bad mood. What happened to your lip?"

Suddenly, he stood before me and scrutinized my face, causing my heart to race involuntarily. I gazed coldly into his eyes and steadied myself.

"That's none of your business. You owe me some answers, Kol. Why didn't you tell me you were in love with my ancestor Vanessa? And don't deny it! I read the journals."

His expression darkened and he gazed at my neck, smiling weakly when he noticed the necklace he gave me for my birthday.

"I'm glad you used the key I gave you. I should've burned those journals though."

"You're avoiding the question. Answer me or I swear to God, I'll–"

"Answer my questions and I'll answer yours." He grinned, but his eyes were filled with sadness.

I avoided his scrutinizing eyes and leaned against the closed door of the shed, contemplating on whether I should tell him the truth or not.

"Kevin and I broke up. You were right, okay? He just wanted me for sex and thanked to him, everyone now thinks I'm a coldhearted bitch. The night I found out about his intentions, he was tipsy and he… pushed me. I fell and my lip split."

The sadness in Kol's dark eyes were replaced with fury and he bared his fangs in rage.

"That bastard hurt you?" he growled.

"Answer my question now. Were you in love with Vanessa?" I questioned.

A growl escaped his lips and his fangs slowly vanished, but he was still agitated and walked away from me to punch a hole in the wall.

"Does it truly matter what I have to say? You know the answer. You read the journals…" he muttered.

"Of course, it matters! I want you to explain to me if you knew I was related to her when you came into my life."

He gazed at me and his expression softened. "I didn't, no. I was hungry and you happened to be there. But… when I saw the ring, I knew."

I felt a mixture of rage, sadness and other emotions I wanted to ignore.

"So that's why you wanted me as your pet. I'm _not_ like Vanessa. I mean I am, but… Christ, this is so messed up." I shook my head and sighed.

"You're _not_ Vanessa, no. You have some of her traits, yes. A lot of them. Sometimes, it's like seeing her spirit in you. Is that all you wanted to know? I have a vampire to beat up."

Kol attempted leaving the shed when I stayed silent, so I grabbed his hand and pulled him back, knowing I had to do something to keep him from doing more damage.

"I'm not done. There's another question you never answered…" I folded my arms and asked firmly. "Why did you kiss me on the night of my birthday?"

A playful smirk appeared and he placed his thumb on my lips, creating a tingling sensation in my body. "What can I say? I have a thing for feisty women."

I stepped back and gazed at his lips, the memory of him kissing me seared into my mind.

There was no doubt that Kol affected me in a certain way, but giving in to temptation meant that I might get burnt.

Badly.

Kol was like an untamable fire and all I desired was to get closer and closer to him – to feel the blazing warmth.

"It's more than just that…" I blurted and I knew I was crossing unknown territory.

He nodded in agreement, though, and grabbed my hand swiftly, breaking my neck swiftly and turning every part of my mind dark again.

His actions were so sudden and so unexpected that I didn't know what to think of it.

However, in the split-second before he did it, I'd noticed a pained look in his eyes and wondered what it meant.

Did he feel forced to do it? And was he scared I was getting too close?

No matter what his reason was for snapping my neck, then I sure as hell would make him regret his decision when I woke up.

I began regaining consciousness several hours later and groaned as the throbbing pain returned to my neck.

At least, I was lying on something soft and not still on the floor of the dusty shed.

I was, however, in a moving car and Kol sat in the driver's seat, about to park outside an old and unkempt manor.

"I'm getting real tired of your shit, Kol," I said, venom dripping in my voice. "You couldn't just have asked me to follow you or knocked me unconscious, could you?"

Kol smirked darkly. "Well, no. You wouldn't have gone willingly and I don't hit women. You have many resurrections left till you go crazy."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, that's reassuring. Where are we anyway? Visiting the Addams Family?"

He raised a brow. "Huh?"

Oh, right. I kept forgetting he was stored in a coffin throughout the 20th century.

"Never mind. Let's just get this over with. What are we doing here?" I asked in a more polite tone as we stepped out of the car.

"An old friend of mine lives here. Her name is Mary and she used to be a… an Original groupie," he replied. "Distract her long enough for me to sneak inside."

I snorted. "Distract a vampire? Are you insane? How am I even supposed to-"

Kol suddenly placed his hands on my shoulders and drew me close to him, sinking his fangs deep into my neck and causing me to bleed.

I fought my way out of his grasp and fled, running across the overgrown lawn in front of the manor to get somewhere safe.

Unfortunately, the scent of blood and the sound of my racing heart lured the old vampire out from the dark manor.

She appeared pale as if she hadn't fed in weeks and took me deep into her dark and murky home.

Her fangs soon sunk into my wound as well and I was unable to muffle the scream that threatened to escape my lips.

This day was just getting worse and worse…

Luckily, Kol finally decided to appear behind Mary with a broken baseball bat in his hand.

He surprised her as he pulled her off me and threw her against a wall, penetrating her heart with the broken baseball bat.

She barely had time to defend herself and died within a few seconds, turning ash gray all over.

"I can't believe you just fucking used me as bait like that!" I hissed angrily. "Sometimes, I seriously wonder why I'm nice to you. I should be killing you."

"Now you're starting to sound like Vanessa again," Kol said laughingly. "I better heal that for you."

He pointed at my neck and bit down into his wrist, offering me the blood, but I shook my head and walked away from him.

Instead, I held my already blood smeared hand against the wound and attempted ignoring the intense pain in my neck.

"Bethany… let me heal you before you pass out," Kol said firmly. "I can force it down your throat instead if you want me to?"

"Can't you just fucking leave me alone?" I didn't mean to scream it, but Kol frustrated me on so many levels.

It was difficult to tell in the dim light, but for a moment, I thought I saw a somber look in Kol's eyes.

"Suit yourself." His indifferent façade was back on, making me feel guilty for shouting at him.

"Why did she have to die? She did anything to you?" I asked, wanting to change the topic.

"Nah, my brother called me and warned me about what Damon and Elena are doing here. I thought I'd make their lives difficult by killing the vampire they're looking for," he replied casually.

"Why would you do that? Did Klaus turn her?" It would make sense if he were protecting his brother, because they all wanted him dead.

"You ask quite a lot of questions today…" He picked up another baseball bat and gazed out of the window.

I quickly picked the other half of the broken bat up and hurried towards him to kill him temporarily, but he heard my movements and turned around just in time.

Wrestling the piece out of my hand, he reopened the wound on his wrist and forced it to my lips, giving me no choice than to drink it.

"There we go," he said, grinning. "All healed up and pretty again."

"How Vanessa could fall for someone like you, really confuses me. You're insensitive, reckless, moody and absolutely crazy!" I hissed.

Kol chuckled softly. "Are you done?"

My cheeks turned crimson of exasperation, but as I opened my mouth to retort, Kol suddenly took me into the room next door and silenced me with a kiss.

Too bewildered and speechless to utter a word, I merely stood there silently and allowed him to kiss me, partly enjoying feeling his lips on mine again.

It wasn't until I heard Damon and Elena speak that I realized he was keeping me from revealing he was here.

He broke the kiss all too suddenly and grabbed my wrist roughly, leading me back into the room where they were examining Mary's corpse.

"Beth!" Elena exclaimed horrified when she saw my blood stained clothes.

"He's not gonna hurt her. He has the hots for her," Damon said to piss Kol off. "I never would've guessed that Kol Mikaelson was soft inside."

His attempt to enrage Kol worked, because he charged at Damon with his baseball bat and smacked him hard several times.

Damon shouted at Elena to run and I tried helping her out before Kol decided to hurt her, but Kol blocked our path.

"Oh, no, you two are staying here. Especially you, love." He winked at me and continued hurting Damon, claiming it was revenge.

Not knowing what to do to stop him, I leaped towards him and managed getting on his back, using a fighting technique my mother had taught me.

Kol dropped to the floor with me landing on top of him while Damon groaned in agony.

"Nice move, kiddo," he said through gritted teeth. "Let's get the hell outta here."

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	14. There's Good In Him

**A/N: Hey KMTID readers! Thank you for always reviewing and motivating me to write more to this story.**

**It wasn't even supposed to be that long when I originally wrote it for my friend.**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 14:

"Nothing is going on between Kol and I! How many times do I have to tell you?" I said grumpily, staring up at Damon and Stefan.

After noticing how Kol behaved around me, they felt the need to interrogate me once we returned to Mystic Falls.

Damon's idea of an effective interrogation was to have me tied up to a chair and occasionally taste my blood to check when the vervain I'd consumed wore off.

"I'm not quite satisfied with your answer yet. Something _is _going on between you and Kol. Are you working for him?" Damon asked suspiciously.

"Elena? Please, tell them to stop this nonsense! I'm _not_ working for Kol and I've already explained why Kol follows me."

"Right… Vanessa – your ancestor. The thing is… I've heard of Vanessa. She went mad, yes, but she always loathed vampires."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Damon. There were never any rumors of her being in love with a vampire," Stefan said.

"Maybe they were good at hiding it?" Elena suggested. "I don't believe Beth is helping Kol in any way. He's killed her repeatedly!"

I sighed of relief. At least Elena believed me…

The Salvatore brothers shared a look and Stefan finally approached me to remove the ropes from my hands and feet.

"We'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Don't mess it up. You're just a human, Beth. This is way more dangerous than you can imagine."

"Oh, I know. Trust me, I want nothing to do with this. Danger just seems to find me no matter where I go. That danger being Kol." I frowned and rubbed my sore wrists.

"Perhaps we can use this for our advantage," A smirk formed on Damon's lips. "You can get close to Kol and find out which Original created our bloodline."

I grimaced. "Are you serious? He must hate me for breaking his neck!"

"We shouldn't be risking her life like that," Elena protested.

Fortunately, I had a reason to leave, because my mother called and asked me to come home immediately, sounding slightly distressed.

Elena drove me home, apologizing on behalf of Damon and Stefan for interrogating me like that.

"You care about him, don't you?" she asked in a concerned tone when we arrived at my house.

"Yeah… I don't know. I want to, but he's making it hard for me," I answered and sighed. "I'll try asking him, but I can't promise anything."

"Thank you. Be careful though." I nodded and embraced her before hurrying inside.

My mother was home alone (it seemed) and sat on the couch, an angry expression on her face directed towards a young man, who sat in my father's armchair.

Kol.

_Oh my God… This isn't happening,_ I thought, groaning.

"You taught your daughter well, Gabrielle. She broke my neck perfectly last night," Kol said, smirking darkly. "Don't worry, Bethany. We were merely discussing your ability to fight."

"Bethany, mind explaining me how an _Original_ managed entering our home?" Mom asked, scowling at me.

"Umm…" I gulped nervously, never having felt more terrified in my life before. "I can explain everything, Mom. I know it looks bad… very bad, but- please, can we speak privately?"

I glared coldly at Kol as my mother followed me upstairs to my bedroom.

What was he thinking? Wait, no – why _wasn't_ he thinking?

My entire family could've killed or exposed him in front of the council members.

"You better explain this fast, because your father will be home in a few hours," Mom said. "Why did you invite him inside?"

"Because… It's complicated, Mom. He threatened to harm you all and my friends, so I had to take care of him in my own way. I can still do it, Mom. You just have to trust me," I said.

"Trust you? He's an Original! In my family, he's a legend – a myth meant to scare hunters like us."

"I know. But he's connected to our family in a way I can't explain to you… and to me in particular." I sighed heavily. "He's saved my life. I know there's good in him."

"And you think you can make his good side shine through? That's ludicrous, Bethany. He's a vampire. They don't care about us."

"Then why did Vanessa Cole fall in love with him? Surely you must know about that."

The look on my mother's face revealed everything.

She might not have known that Kol was the vampire our ancestor fell in love with, but she did know that it had happened.

"How do you know about that? No one in our family talks about that."

"I read her journals. She was so in love with him and he with her. Hunting drove her crazy."

A sudden knock on my bedroom door made me jump and I opened the door to find Kol standing on the other side with a sinister expression on his face.

"Hello ladies. I'm afraid I have to borrow Bethany for an hour or two," he said politely. "Miss Dawson?"

I sent my mother a look and took Kol's outstretched hand, following him to the Mystic Grill. He seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood and made me highly suspicious.

However, we spent the first twenty minutes ordering and receiving our meals without saying much to each other.

"I see you've inherited your feistiness and beauty from your mother," Kol spoke, tasting a French fry and grimacing. "They call this good food?"

"Give them to me then. I didn't know vampires were so picky," I said teasingly, unable to resist the urge to smile. "Since I broke your neck, I bet you want to even the score, too, right?"

Kol shook his head. "I deserved that. I'm impressed you had it in you."

I frowned, wondering if I'd stepped into another dimension. "Right… Why are you in such a good mood today?"

He shrugged and started shoving his French fries on my plate. "I've missed your company. Having to listen to that Gilbert boy whining all day was horrible."

I raised a brow, but said nothing and merely started eating. "My sister invited me to her silly 20s Decade Dance. Are you going?"

Both of my eyebrows rose this time when he mentioned the Decade Dance party. I originally planned to go with Kevin, but since my relationship with him failed, I cancelled my plans.

"Nah. I don't have a date and I'm not really in the mood."

"I'll just have to make you want to go then. You're going to be my date." He smirked charmingly and started eating his burger.

"You didn't even experience the 20s!"

He chuckled. "I've researched and my dear sister told me everything I need to know. Sounds like a fantastic decade if you ask me."

Of course, Kol would love the 20s of all decades. It contained everything he was about and I was positive, he would've enjoyed every bit of it.

"How can you do favors and errands for Klaus when he daggered you?" I asked, changing the topic.

"He's my brother. You would do the same for yours," Kol answered frankly. "I suppose I should thank you for distracting Mary. Thank you."

I rolled my eyes and threw a French fry at him. "That was a dick move, Kol. I still haven't forgiven you for that or for breaking my neck."

Kol laughed. "Oh, shush. You still love me. Oh, right. I forgot to mention that I took care of Kevin and Katie for you. No more gossiping about you from today."

My eyebrows rose instantly. "Wait, what? You didn't kill them, did you?"

He rolled his eyes at my assumption and shook his head. "No. I could do it for you if you want me to, but I figured you preferred them alive. Now turn around and watch."

Frowning, I slowly turned around in my seat and spotted my least favorite couple entering the Grill together.

They started bickering all of a sudden and were purposely loud as they yelled at each other.

"Oh, and by the way! You're not even that big! And thanked to you I got chlamydia!" Katie shouted.

"Well, I'm fucking glad, because you gave me herpes the last time we were together! And those false rumors you spread about Bethany? They were just lies to cover the fact that you're jealous of her!" Kevin shouted back.

People started staring at them and texted to their friends what they'd heard, humiliating the bickering couple completely.

I burst out laughing and especially when the compulsion on them wore off and they realized what they'd done.

It was cruel, yes, but they deserved every bit of it.

"I thought you might like that," Kol said, grinning from ear to ear. "Still hate me?"

"Yeah," I replied teasingly. "Well, I guess we're even now. That was pretty neat."

Unfortunately, my mood was ruined quickly at the sight of Klaus entering the Grill, heading our way with a sinister look in his eyes.

That guy seriously creeped me out sometimes.

Rather than leaving the table, I pretended to be unfazed by his presence and placed my hand on Kol's.

The mere touch of his hand made my skin tingle and heart beat faster, making me wonder if the ring's effect on me was still active.

Kol withdrew his hand though when he noticed his brother and the smile on his lips was replaced with a thin line.

"Brother," he greeted indifferently. "Looking for that blonde vampire of yours?"

"No, I'm looking for you, actually," Klaus replied with a cryptic smirk on his lips. "I need to have a word with you in _private_."

Kol raised a brow and glanced my way, looking torn between wanting to stay and go with his brother.

"It's okay. I'll pay for our meal," I said. "I'm sure my mom is waiting for me anyway."

Kol smiled weakly and followed Klaus to the bar, so while they spoke and occasionally glanced at me, I paid for the meals and drinks, and then went home.

My mother sat waiting for me on the porch and seemed anxious about when I'd return and if I was unharmed.

After spending half an hour reassuring her that I was fine, I went upstairs to my bedroom to relax after the long day I'd had.

Letting Rory out from his cage, I sat playing with him on my bed and felt oddly relaxed now that I no longer wore the ring.

Perhaps it wasn't affecting me anymore, but if that was the case, then why did I feel more attracted to Kol than before?

It didn't make sense.

"Do you understand any of this, Rory?" I asked, sighing.

Rory ignored my question and jumped off the bed, pretending to be superman.

I couldn't resist the urge to laugh and watched him running around on the floor. He froze in his spot for a moment and hurried back to me, attempting to get back up on the bed.

When I noticed the reason why he was frightened, I picked him up and stared at the unexpected intruder.

"Decided to use the window again?" I asked, watching Kol approach me.

"I thought I'd do it for old times' sake. It will be the last time I pay you a visit," he said casually, but the somberness in his eyes was evident. "You're no longer my pet, Bethany. I'm releasing you."

"What…?" I was speechless.

After all this time, he suddenly decided to end our strange relationship now?

I wasn't sure why, but it hurt more than my breakup with Kevin and made my heart twinge painfully.

Maybe he was no longer drawn to me, because I'd taken the ring off?

Or maybe Klaus was behind his sudden decision to end everything?

I opted on the latter and felt my blood beginning to boil of anger, because despite occasionally loathing Kol and his actions, then I'd genuinely enjoyed spending time with him.

"I'm guessing you want your key back then…?" I asked, avoiding his gaze purposely as I placed Rory in his cage again.

Kol's brows furrowed and he sat down on the bed when I returned to my spot on it.

"Of course, you can keep it. I gave it to you for your birthday," he replied and placed his hand on mine. "You're not wearing your ring… Why did you take it off?"

_Because I wanted to see if it changed me… and you,_ I thought, but stayed silent and shrugged as a reply.

Even now, his touch was making my heart race and the urge to kiss him became too irresistible.

I gazed up into his brown eyes and impulsively crashed my lips against his, my arms wrapped around his neck to draw him closer.

In the beginning, Kol's entire body went rigid, but eventually he relaxed and deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into my mouth.

Pushing me down on my back, he crawled onto me and buried his fingers in my hair, ravaging my mouth with his.

I was unable to think straight in those minutes, but the silence in my troubled mind was welcoming.

While Kevin greedily had touched my body during our passionate kisses, Kol refrained from doing the same and only brushed my skin gently with his fingertips.

However, somewhere between making out with Kol and touching the muscles on his chest, I awakened from my blissful state and broke the kiss to catch my breath.

"This is why I kissed you," Kol said quietly. "I'm…" He paused and shook his head, unable to say whatever he desired saying. "I should go."

Leaving me breathless and craving more, I suddenly wished I hadn't broken the kiss, because it was evident that someone or something forced Kol to stay away from me.

"Great. Rory, I think I'm in love with an Original," I muttered, letting out a deep sigh.

_Vanessa must've protected me from it. That's the only explanation I can come up with. But if that's the case, then perhaps I should keep the ring on…_

I pulled the ring out of my pocket and stared at it for a few minutes, contemplating the pros and cons of wearing the ring again.

I doubted that I'd get into much trouble now that I was no longer Kol's pet, so I slipped it on my necklace instead.

Feeling utterly exhausted from everything that had occurred today, I closed my window and went straight to bed.

A part of me wished Kol would pay me a visit in my dreams, but he never came, which only made the twinge in my heart so much more painful.

I was beginning to understand why Vanessa fell in love with Kol many years ago.

Kol was… way more kind-hearted than he let people on to and fiercely loyal. He was respectful in the right situations and protected the ones he cared about… it was just in an unorthodox way.

I hoped my feelings for him were mutual and that it was the reason why he kissed me.

In the morning, I was in no mood to go to school, but I'd already missed a couple of days, so I forced myself out of the house and socialized with my friends.

We were halfway into the third period when people started discussing the upcoming 20s Decade Dance, which I yet again had no date to go with.

"You're coming, right, Beth?" Kayla asked quietly.

"I don't have a date, so no," I replied. "I'm not in the mood to be social this week anyway."

Kayla pouted and leaned closer to me while Miss Anderson rambled on and on about cells. "But you don't need a date to go. C'mon, Beth. Emma is going without a date too. You've been so grumpy since the whole ordeal with Kevin."

I groaned and held up my hands in defeat. "Fine, fine. But I'm only staying there for maximum two hours and then I'm going home."

She smiled widely and nearly exclaimed a "Yay!" if Emma hadn't quickly shushed her.

I giggled softly and shook my head of them, enjoying how normal and simple they made my life feel.

And if Kol decided to show up to the dance for some reason, then I was determined to let him know how he made me feel.

There was no way we could go back to being friends or enemies after that kiss.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	15. Stop Pretending

**A/N: Hey! I did not forget you guys! I've just been uninspired and busy ._.**

**But thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 15:

Damn!

I had to admit that Rebekah had some skills when it came to planning parties and in particular decade dances.

The colorful decorations and blasting music suited the theme of tonight's decade dance and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I wanted to praise Rebekah for her good work, but she was nowhere to be found at the moment, so I mingled with my friends and danced to a few songs.

Emma and Kayla had no issues finding two guys to dance with, so I disappeared to the table with drinks and watched them having fun.

After the whole incident with Kevin and Katie, the rumors and gossiping about me died down, but it hadn't changed the way most people looked at me.

Even if they suddenly found me interesting, then it wouldn't change my feelings towards Kol.

There was something going on between us and I needed to know if it was just hormones or love.

A poke on my back distracted me from the chaotic thoughts in my mind and stirred a burning rage within me.

Kevin stood behind me, clad in a vintage suit from the 20s and nowhere near fitting into the decade he was portraying.

"You have every right to loathe me, Beth…" he started.

"Damn right, I have. Now fuck off, you dick," I snapped, searching for a reason to leave.

"I'm sorry, okay? I messed up. I… I shouldn't have said that to you."

"My God, you must be really desperate for sex if you're trying to make peace with the one girl, who hates you the most. But you know what? Take your damn STDs and go fuck yourself."

I walked back into the crowd of dancing teenagers and attempted finding my friends, but they seemed to have wandered off somewhere.

Groaning, I decided to go outside and get some fresh air as none other than Klaus himself entered the building, clad in a light beige suit that seemed to stem from the actual 20s.

I turned on my black heels and followed him, grabbing his arm before he disappeared from my sight again.

"I don't know what you told Kol, but you're a bastard and I will do anything I can to kill you!" I hissed angrily.

Klaus raised a brow and smirked darkly.

"Is that so? Guess my suspicions were right then. You are in love with my brother. That's a shame, because a girl like you should avoid trouble like him," he replied smugly. "And me."

"I'm not scared of you, Klaus, so don't even think for a second that that stupid smirk on your face is going to make me afraid of you. Yes, I have feelings for Kol, but it's none of your god damn business."

He seemed slightly surprised by my reply and did a onceover of me in my white flapper dress, fixating his gaze on my ring-less finger.

"I suggest you keep your ring on, Bethany. I won't hesitate to kill you just because my brother fancies you." And with that, he turned around and walked towards the dancing teenagers.

It wouldn't surprise me if he was searching for Caroline.

Rolling my eyes, I continued going outside and breathed in the fresh air, wishing Kol would ignore his brother's threats and tell me what he wanted to say in my bedroom.

Calling him didn't work, because he'd changed his number or blocked mine, so there was no way for me to contact him.

I cussed under my breath and sat down on a bench, beginning to feel cold but too stubborn to go back inside.

"You're a fucking coward, Kol," I muttered. "You should be here. Regardless of what Klaus tells you to do."

"_Lies,_" a familiar voice said. "I'm not a coward."

Holding my breath, I stared at Kol sitting next to me and felt my heart skip a beat, because no part of me thought he would actually show up.

However, here he was and he was even dressed in a black, vintage suit from the 20s that fit him perfectly and made him appear like he'd stepped out of the 20s like his brother did.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly, feeling angry about how he left me.

"My sister invited me, remember?" he replied casually and raised a brow. "I happened to notice you. Thought I'd say hello since my sister is a no-show at her own party."

I snorted and stood up, feeling torn between wanting to kiss him and slap him as hard as I could.

"It's getting cold. I better go inside."

When Kol said nothing, I ignored the twinge in my heart and turned on my heels, heading back inside even though I was in no mood to party tonight.

How could he not see how his indifference was hurting me?

I thought… _Suck it up, Beth,_ I thought to myself. _You gave him a chance. He didn't take it. No need to worry about him every minute._

Luckily, Emma and Kayla were no longer out of sight, so I headed straight towards them and gladly followed them back to the dance floor for another dance.

It was difficult pushing my emotions aside, but I needed to make an attempt when Kol clearly wasn't going to fight for me.

We were in the middle of doing the Charleston and giggling because of how silly we looked when I suddenly felt someone pulling me close to him.

"Ladies, mind if I steal Bethany for a dance?" Kol asked, flashing a charming smile.

"I mind! I'm dancing with my friends," I replied, huffing.

"She doesn't mind and neither do we," Emma commented and pushed me closer to Kol. "We're gonna go find those two cute boys we danced with earlier."

She embraced me quickly and told me to give him a chance, which Kol couldn't help but overhear quite clearly.

"Your dancing skills seem to have improved… slightly," Kol said teasingly.

My facial expression remained the same. I narrowed my eyes on his and resisted the urge to do the two things I wanted to do the most to him.

"I. Hate. You," I replied, emphasizing every word with venom dripping in my voice.

It felt like the world outside us had vanished again and there was only the two of us, standing silently in front of each other.

Kol closed his eyes for a moment and as they fluttered open again, a look of remorse briefly passed his face.

"Good. Glad to see that we're back to normal," he said and walked away.

Something inside me snapped and made me follow him through the gym to the empty and quiet hallways.

I grabbed Kol's wrist roughly and forced him to face me, so I could slap him hard across his face.

Utter silence followed the loud sound of my palm colliding with his cheek, but my chest was rising noticeably as I breathed heavily and fought to keep my tears in.

"Stop pretending as if I mean nothing to you…" I said, feeling teardrops falling from my cheeks. "Don't you see that I'm… I'm in love with you?"

I thought and felt that I sounded pathetic standing there like that and confessing my feelings to him when I wasn't even aware of them being there until recently.

The pretending and acting as if nothing bothered him was driving me nuts, because no matter how hard he tried, I could see through it.

Kol's lips parted after several minutes had passed and a somber expression finally formed on his face, revealing his true emotions.

"I know. I…" He groaned and pulled me into one of the classrooms where no one could see us. "I can't be with you, Bethany."

"Because of Klaus?" I sniffled, but I didn't care anymore.

"Partly, yes. But my brother _is_ right. One of us will end up dead one day." He wiped my tears away solemnly and sighed. "You should find someone normal. Someone… half as amazing as me."

A small smile formed on his lips and on mine, too, but it vanished quickly. "I don't want anyone normal. I want you, Kol."

I placed my hand on his chest and moved closer to him.

This attraction towards him was more powerful than I could imagine and I didn't know how to resist the pull without Vanessa's help.

Kol's eyes fixated on my lips and he slowly leaned down to them, kissing me so softly and tenderly that my heart skipped a beat.

He sneaked a hand around my waist and pressed my body against the nearest wall, deepening the kiss, but remaining calm at the same time.

"_Kol,_" Klaus growled, standing in the doorway.

Kol broke the kiss abruptly, but I noticed a smile on his lips before he turned to scowl at his older brother.

"I'm _busy_," he said, emphasizing the last word. "What do you want, brother?"

"Just thought I'd remind my little brother of what we discussed earlier today. You're playing with fire."

"Frankly, I don't care what you think about this anymore. The last time I trusted you, you daggered me."

"The last time I daggered you, you were helping a group of witches, who conspired against me, just to get your precious Vanessa back."

Kol snapped and tackled Klaus to the floor, planting his fist repeatedly in his face.

Klaus threw him off and pushed him into a cabinet, seeming to have had enough of his brother's wayward behavior.

The two Originals flew through the classroom, knocking down objects, breaking tables and chairs, and hurting each other coldly, knowing that they'd both heal up quickly.

Fearing that I'd get hurt as well, I hurried out of the classroom and searched for Rebekah in hopes of her being able to separate her brothers.

However, I barely managed reaching the end of the hallway before Klaus caught me and sunk his razor sharp fangs into my neck.

Kol followed right behind him and stopped dead in his tracks when he heard me cry out in agony.

"Let me do you a favor and kill your precious little pet right now," Klaus threatened. "I warned you, Kol. Don't pursue a lost cause. She will get our family killed."

"I don't have anything against your family. Just you!" I hissed, attempting to break free of his grip.

He grabbed me by my jaw and held it in a firm grasp, making it nearly impossible for me to breathe or move.

"It's not _you_ I'm worried about. It's your family. But killing you might send them a message and make your brothers stop hunting me."

My eyes widened in shock.

Mark and Danny were hunting Klaus down? Why didn't I know anything about this?

Oh, right… my brothers weren't fond of sharing that type of information with me…

"Let her go or I swear to God, I will gladly spend the rest of my eternity tormenting you!" Kol growled. "Don't think of a second that I won't hesitate to hand you over to our mother."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at Kol and slowly released me, but he still held my hair in an iron grip.

I winced when he suddenly forced me with him and pushed a door open that led out to the parking lot, pointing at a clear line of salt that went around the building.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she's got something to do with that. No vampire can leave the grounds. We're an easy target for Esther, brother. It wouldn't surprise me if she worked for her."

"What? I had nothing to do with that!" I exclaimed.

"What was it again you told me earlier? 'I will do anything I can to kill you'?" Even Kol seemed slightly suspicious of me when he heard this and I didn't deny having said it.

A sound caught Klaus' attention and a smirk slowly appeared on his lips. He released me from his grip and pushed me roughly to the floor.

"Excuse me, but I have a witch I need to speak with," he said.

Dashing off, I was left alone with Kol in the hallway, bleeding and hurting from the rough treatment Klaus gave me.

"You want to kill my brother?" he asked, standing still.

"He constantly threatens me, Kol. Of course, I hate him! But I don't have anything to do with what's going on right now, I swear. I had no idea my brothers were hunting him down," I answered.

Kol approached me casually and bent down in his knees to my level, staring me dead in my eyes.

I wished he would explain to me how he could defend me in one moment and be suspicious of me in the next.

"Is that the entire truth? You're not keeping anything from me, are you?"

_Shit! I gotta tell him I'm supposed to find out who created the Salvatores' bloodline,_ I thought, frowning. _He'll know if I'm lying._

"I agreed to help the Salvatores finding out if Klaus created their bloodline or not," I confessed, feeling guilty. "But I–"

Kol stood up straight and vanished without anything, confirming the fears I had regarding how he would react.

Nothing seemed to work out for me lately…

I searched for my resurrection ring in my purse and slipped it on, wanting to suppress my feelings for Kol more than ever right now.

I couldn't forget the look on his face when I confessed the truth, because it pained me that we used to be able to trust each other… well, somewhat trust each other.

Crawling off to the ladies' room, I cleaned my bloody neck and tried getting rid of the bloodstains on my dress without any luck.

The twin holes weren't deep, so I managed patching myself up decently and returned to Emma and Kayla.

"Ohh, someone got a bit too frisky! You better tell us about that kiss," Kayla said, pointing at the Band-Aid on my neck.

"I will, I will, but can we go now? I've been here for more than the agreed hours, you know," I said, forcing a smile on my lips. "We can have a sleepover at my house?"

"Sure, sounds fun! Your brothers are back in town, right? Not to be weird or anything, but Danny is really hot," Emma said, fanning herself.

I rolled my eyes and felt like burying my face in my palms. "Yeah, they're still in town. C'mon, girls. It's getting a bit too warm and crazy here anyway."

They nodded in agreement and followed me out to the parking lot where I noticed Klaus speaking with Kol near the line of salt on the ground.

Kol noticed me leaving, but quickly turned his attention back to his brother. I guessed he was still mad at me for keeping secrets from him and decided to approach him.

"I'll be right back, girls. Just wait for me in the car," I said and then walked up to the two Originals.

"Kol, we need to talk," I said, staring him dead in his eyes. "Alone."

Klaus chuckled softly and walked back inside, allowing us to speak somewhat privately.

"I don't get you, Kol. I keep thinking I do, but then Klaus enters the picture and you change. Do you even love me?" I asked, needing to know.

"No," he replied, but it sounded forced. "You should go. It might get messy here if I know my mother right."

I nodded in agreement and took him by surprise when I decided to embrace him tightly. It seemed right to do at the moment, however, I never expected him to return the hug.

Would I ever learn to figure out the enigma that was Kol?

Probably not.

"My friends are waiting…" I said awkwardly when the hug ended.

"Of course. Take care, Beth," he said, smiling weakly.

I planted a soft kiss on his cheek and turned on my heels, hurrying to Emma's car and getting inside, looking back only once to find Kol waving goodbye.

Sighing weakly, I hoped that we weren't going to say goodbye for the last time and that whatever was going on tonight would end soon.

As much as I wanted to pick a bone with Esther, then I needed to pick my battles and this one wasn't one of them.

I would have a _long_ talk with my brothers, however, when I got home…

* * *

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	16. Limbo

**A/N: Helloo! Wow, this chapter was an emotional one for me.**

**I suggest you listen to "The End of All Things" by Panic! At the Disco while you read the final scene in this chapter.**

**You'll hopefully understand what's going through a certain person's mind ;)**

**Thank you for all the reviews and sorry about the late update - blame college!**

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Chapter 16:

"You two are absolute morons!" I exclaimed, earning two identical weird looks from my brothers.

Danny laughed softly, thinking I was teasing them, but when he saw the serious expression on my face remaining, his laughter came to a halt.

"What did we do?" he asked in an offended tone.

"Oh, I don't know… _forgot to mention that you were hunting down Klaus – an invincible hybrid with anger issues!_"

That caught their attention instantly and they both grimaced, because they knew that they were screwed.

Either they could tell me the horrifying truth or endure the wrath of their little sister, which I was positive they didn't want to experience again.

Last time they experienced it, I was nine years old and they'd destroyed one of my favorite teddy bears, I went completely ballistic and cut their hair off.

"Right, this is kinda awkward…" Mark said, rubbing his face. "How do you even know?"

"Klaus told me. Said you'd been hunting him down for a while," I groaned. "Are you two trying to get yourselves killed?"

"Of course, not! We need to do this, Beth. He's an abomination and worse than the vampires," Danny said. "Our family has attempted to kill him for years. Do you even know how many of our relatives he's killed?"

I stood up from the kitchen table and glanced out of the window to check if any of our parents had returned from work yet.

There was luckily no sight of them.

If they knew how much I knew, they'd question my strange friendship with Kol and start targeting the Originals without understanding how dangerous they truly were.

"I don't care what he's done. Don't pursue him," I said. "There's a reason why no hunter has ever been close to killing him before. He's always five steps ahead."

"Don't be ridiculous. Every supernatural creature has a weakness. We'll find that weakness and rid the world of the likes of him before they spread," Danny said. "You can either help us do that or be considered a vampire-sympathizer by the family. Don't let them fool you, Beth."

Christ, was everyone in our family this… anti-vampire?

Something must've happened in our family since they loathed them so much.

"Listen, Beth, I know you want to see good in everyone – even these bloodsuckers – but the world will be so much better without them," Mark said, trying to reason with me.

"Would it really? Because last time I checked, humans were just as brutal and dangerous as vampires."

Mark groaned and approached me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Just please be careful. Don't get too close to any vampires. Nothing bad comes from being with them."

"As long as you two keep hunting Klaus and keeping secrets from me, I'm gonna talk with these vampires."

I decided to get some fresh air and went for a walk to distract myself from my problems.

I wished I could talk some sense into my brothers, but they'd been taught the same crap everyone else in my family seemed to have been taught.

It made me wonder if my parents knew I wouldn't be able to loathe vampires the way they did.

Something about my family's history and there intense hatred towards vampires didn't add up, though, and I could sense that there was more to the story than what they were telling me.

I ended up walking all the way to the Mystic Grill and spent the quiet afternoon coming up with a somewhat decent solution to my problems.

Halfway into the evening, a young man entered the Grill and glanced around curiously before settling with a table nearby mine.

There was an air of mystery and darkness around him that made my instincts reacting, but I wasn't sure if it was because he was a supernatural being or something else.

He appeared to be in his early 20s with blonde shoulder-long hair and pale blue eyes that seemed almost… animalistic.

Ordering a beer and burger, he seemed completely calm yet alert as if he was attempting to disguise his worries from someone.

I glanced around to see if there were any bad types in the Grill and noticed one of Klaus' hybrids sitting in the other side of the restaurant.

Something hinky was up and I dreaded that the hybrid would do something foolish soon, so I prepared myself for it.

Eventually, the hybrid stood up and approached the young man, who seemed to know him somehow.

They spoke quietly with each other and the hybrid bared his fangs warningly. The young man stood up and walked out after saying something, which seemed to infuriate the hybrid.

_What the hell is going on here? _I thought, frowning. _This is way too weird._

When the hybrid went to follow the young man, I decided to act and hoped my instincts weren't wrong about something bad was about to happen soon.

I followed the hybrid out to the alley behind the Grill and watched as the pair fought against each other, both of the men's eyes had turned visibly dark yellow.

"Oh, shit," I blurted and acted on sheer impulse as I threw a vervain grenade on the hybrid.

He screamed out in agony as his face was badly burnt, however, he wasn't down yet and quickly healing up.

His opponent grabbed a sharp piece of metal and swung it at the hybrid, decapitating him while he was still distracted by the pain.

Whoever and whatever this guy was, then he knew enough about hybrids to know that you had to decapitate them to stop them.

He turned his attention to me and stared straight into my eyes. "You were spying on me in the restaurant... why?" he asked, flashing a set of white teeth angrily.

My heart skipped a beat and I attempted remaining calm, but it was difficult when he could easily decapitate me as well.

"Umm… I had a bad feeling something would happen and… I guess I was right. Also, I seriously hate Klaus' hybrids," I said, offering a shy smile. "I'm Bethany Dawson, by the way. You?"

A smile formed on his lips and he dropped the metal, approaching me calmly as his eyes returned back to its normal pale blue shade.

"I'm Liam Keller," he said and gazed at the ring on my finger. "You're a hunter? Wouldn't have thought so. No offence, but–"

"No, no, it's fine. I'm not… well, I'm not a hunter. Let's just leave it at that," I inhaled sharply when I noticed the severed hybrid's head near my feet. "Why did he attack you?"

"I refused to become like him. We're from the same pack, you see," He furrowed his brows and picked the head up as if it was prop, tossing it into the dumpster. "Do you often heroically intervene in situations like these?"

My cheeks turned crimson and I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. "So you're a werewolf? Never met one of those before…"

Liam chuckled and started dragging the body closer to the dumpster, so he could hide it in there as well. "We are a rarity. But if you're not a hunter, then what are you?"

"Supernatural beings sympathizer," I laughed softly and frowned. "Why did you even come here? Don't you know it's dangerous when Klaus is here?"

"I do, but… he was a part of my pack. I wasn't there when they were all turned, so I was lucky… or maybe not. Anyway, I came because he asked for my help. I should've known it was a set-up."

He sounded remorseful, however, I assumed it was because of the loyalty werewolves shared with one another.

Now he was a lone werewolf without a pack and couldn't trust anyone he knew.

"I'm sorry about your friend. The sire bond is pretty strong from what I've heard," I said, unsure of what to do. "Do you need a place to stay or…?"

"I'm good. Thanks for helping me back there. I owe you one," he said, smiling kindly. "Let me buy you a drink to show my gratitude."

My cheeks must've turned a shade redder, because a playful smirk formed on his lips. I couldn't understand why this man was making me feel so… nervous.

"Um, sure. I could need a drink. I've had a pretty weird week," I admitted.

We returned to the Grill and sat by the bar, sipping a cold beer that helped cooling my warm and red cheeks down.

Liam was sweet towards me and unlike Kevin and Kol, he wasn't blatantly flirting with me or getting overly touchy.

It was nice just having a casual conversation with a guy even if he was a werewolf.

"I think it's sweet that you werewolves stay loyal to one another," I said as we spoke about werewolves and their behavior. "I mean I appreciate loyalty. You don't see it often."

"Hmm… speaking of loyalty," he said and nodded towards Kol at one of the tables. "Either you have a secret admirer or you failed to mention you have a boyfriend, which I must say is a disappointment as I wanted to ask you out."

My heart skipped another beat and when I met Kol's gaze, I felt a pang of guilt. I wanted to know if anything was going to happen between us, because I hated being in this limbo-type state with him.

"I don't have a boyfriend, no," I said and lowered my voice. "It's complicated, but I don't think he'll return my feelings towards him. He's Klaus' brother and Klaus… hates me."

"Ah, I see… well, if he's not going to ask you out, then I will." He grinned and brushed a lock of my hair behind my ear. "So… yes or no?"

I was torn.

Why did he have to be so sweet, normal and non-complicated like Kol?

It was obvious that Vanessa wanted me to choose the werewolf, because she knew from experience that a relationship between a hunter and vampire didn't work.

Without the ring on, I would've said no in a heartbeat without any hint of hesitation in my voice, but the ring allowed me to think rationally.

Did I genuinely see a future with Kol?

A part of me wanted Kol to walk up here and fight for me, but he remained seated by his table and merely sipped his drink.

"Yes," I finally answered. "I wasn't even expecting you to ask me, but… something tells me that I will be glad you did."

Liam brushed my cheek gently with his thumb and a shiver of excitement coursed through my body like electricity.

When I glanced in Kol's direction, he was no longer there and no evidence of his presence remained in his place.

"What do you exactly do in your spare time if you don't hunt vampires?" Liam asked, leaning back in his seat.

"I… write, I guess. And read a lot," I answered and laughed softly. "Although, I hardly have time to do it anymore due to the supernatural drama in my life."

"Fair enough. I can relate to that." He ordered another beer to himself and a coke to me, noticing that I was beginning to get tipsy. "You're 18, right? Are you planning to go to college?"

I chewed on my bottom lip and shrugged. "I'm not sure anymore. I wanted to, but… I want to travel as well and see what's beyond Mystic Falls."

He nodded understandingly. "I did the same after high school. I spent a few months in Australia and then lived in New Zealand for half a year."

I envied Liam and desired nothing more than to explore other cultures by trying to live in another country for some time.

However, if I knew my parents right, they wouldn't even allow me to leave Mystic Falls for a week without anyone to look out for me.

We spent another hour talking about our lives until my brothers became worried and went to the Grill to pick me up.

They both noticed me talking with Liam and obviously, became curious about who he was.

The last thing I needed was them embarrassing me in front of my new crush, so I said my goodbyes to Liam and forced my brothers to leave with me.

"Who was that? Is he your boyfriend? Why haven't we met him yet?" Mark asked curiously, bombarding me with questions.

"Liam is not my boyfriend yet and I just met him today," I replied, rolling my eyes. "He's from Tennessee and came here to… uh, visit a friend."

_Smooth, Beth. Smooth. _

"Oh? How old is he?" Danny asked worriedly.

"Not too old for me, so don't worry. He's 21," I answered and sighed. "Don't tell Mom and Dad about him. They're just going to freak out."

"Why? He's not a vampire, is he?" They both gazed at me expectantly, the concern clearly showing in their eyes.

"No! He's a- he's normal, okay!" I was worried how they would react if they knew he was a werewolf, so I decided to keep that information to myself for now.

"Right… We're so telling Mom and Dad about him. They'll be pleased to hear that you've met someone new. I hope he isn't like Kevin though."

I shook my head of them and just stepped into the car, deciding not to comment on it.

We returned in time for dinner and despite threatening to tell our parents about Liam, then my brothers remained quiet about him throughout the entire meal.

Perhaps they felt guilty about the argument I had with them earlier today…

After dinner, I reclined in my bedroom with a book in my hands and occasionally watched Rory as he attempted escaping from his cage.

He was crawling on the roof of his cage when something suddenly made him fall down and hide quickly in his little house.

"_Your rat is a wuss_," Kol said, entering through my open window.

"He's not a rat. He's a hamster and he's not a wuss," I retorted and folded my arms. "What are you doing here?"

Kol fell silent and showed no humor, anger or sadness in his face, but something did seem to plague his mind.

"I'm not comfortable with my pet hanging out with a werewolf…" he said, smiling wryly.

"Well, last time I checked, I wasn't your pet anymore," I said, feeling agitated.

We were running around in circles and I was sick of it.

Either Kol loved me or he didn't, and I refused to accept anything in between, because I felt like I was stuck.

"So you're really going on a date with a werewolf?"

It was hard for me to respond to that, so I merely nodded and watched his facial expression to see if he was going to continue pretending not to care.

I crawled off my bed and approached him, my arms still folded and my eyes narrowing into a deadly glare.

"You're wasting my time, Kol. I'm done."

He narrowed his eyes on me and a growl escaped his lips. "I'm not letting you go. I can't. That's why I'm here."

His lips crashed onto mine in an instant and our bodies swiftly moved to the nearest wall where he pressed me against it, his lips relentlessly bruising mine with fiery and passionate kisses.

A turmoil of emotions passed through my body; anger, happiness, resentment, lust…

My hand collided with his cheek and the shock of my sudden actions forced Kol to pull back, staring into my eyes longingly.

"I'm selfish, I know. I can't let go of you even though I should," he said and seemed pained. "You deserve someone who makes you happy. Vanessa did, too."

He started to pull away from me, so I instinctively grabbed his shirt and pressed my lips against his, needing to feel his lips before I made a decision, I knew I would regret.

His hands moved to my cheeks and we stood kissing each other for what felt like hours, savoring each other's presence.

"When was the last time you ingested vervain?" he asked, breaking the kiss suddenly.

"A few days ago, I think," I replied breathlessly, half-hoping he would bite me.

However, he gazed into my eyes instead as his eyes dilated in a mesmerizing way that made it impossible for me to look away.

"Forget everything about me. We never met. You don't feel anything towards me and… you're going to go on a date with Liam. I won't trouble your mind anymore," he said, breathing heavily. "It's best this way. This will keep you safe and alive."

I blinked and frowned as I suddenly found myself standing against my wall.

_Strange… Why do I feel like there's an empty space in my heart?_

* * *

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	17. Dark Past

**A/N: I'm gonna upload another chapter tomorrow because you've all been so sweet and left so many reviews lately. ;)**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 17:

"You wanted to talk with me?" I asked, gazing curiously at my cousin.

"Yes, we don't speak often, but since you know about what goes on in this town and all, I felt that we should," Tyler said and furrowed his brows. "I can trust you, right Beth?"

I raised a brow and watched him pacing around in the living room of his beautiful home.

Our families rarely visited one another, because our mothers were half-sisters and therefore not close to each other, so being here was… awkward and strange.

Tyler slumped down on the couch next to me and regarded me worriedly.

"Of course, you can trust me. We're family. I haven't told my parents about the vampires and hybrids in this town. They only know about Klaus."

He nodded understandingly. "Klaus wishes it to remain that way and since I am sired to him, I have to make sure of that. Also… I hear you're dating a werewolf named Liam."

My cheeks instantly turned crimson at the thought of Liam.

We'd gone on a couple of dates and so far nothing bad had happened, so it was a promising start for us and he did treat me well.

He was, however, concerned about his former pack's wish to make him a hybrids as well.

"Depends… are you going to tell Klaus about him?" I asked, playing nervously with the hem of my skirt.

"No, he doesn't know about it. I just wanted to make sure the rumors were true. I'm glad you've met someone better than Kevin and that you're not hanging out with Kol anymore."

This time it was my turn to frown. "Kol? Who's that?"

A perplexed expression formed on his face and he opened his mouth to say something when his mother suddenly entered the room.

"Ah, Bethany! How lovely to see you," she said, embracing me. "How is your family?"

"We're well, thank you. Tyler and I were just talking, but I guess I should get ready to go. I have work to do at the Grill," I replied. "I'll talk with you later, Tyler."

He nodded and followed me out to the door, but caught my arm before I stepped into my car and lowered his voice.

"Be careful, Beth. You're a sweet girl. You don't need to be involved in all of this."

"How can I _not_ be involved when I'm the daughter of a hunter? I understand your concern, but I will be fine. I can't say the same about my brothers. They refuse to back off Klaus' back."

He groaned quietly and released my arm, watching me drive off to work with a troubled look on his face.

I wondered why he was behaving so strangely and who this Kol was, because the name sounded unfamiliar to me.

However, I dismissed the thoughts and focused on working, so I could earn the money I needed to leave Mystic Falls after graduation.

Liam hung around at the Grill often and kept me company when he wasn't attempting to talk his pack members out of working for Klaus.

Having him around made me feel… safe, but perhaps a little too safe sometimes.

Because of the fact that he was a werewolf, he was very protective of me and kept me out of harm's way all the time, which my father loved.

I should be happy to have found a decent guy, but for some reason I felt like I was missing something in my life.

"You seem troubled," Liam said, hooking his finger around the loops of my uniform to pull me closer to him. "You okay, Beth?"

"Is it that obvious?" I said jokingly and sighed. "I'm just concerned about a few things. Your safety, mainly."

Liam held my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, causing my cheeks to turn a little red. There was no doubt that I was in love with him and that he did make me feel happy.

"Let's go to the cinema tonight," he suggested. "Watch a movie, eat popcorn, make out…"

I giggled and nodded, liking the sound of that, because with everything going on lately, I needed some normality.

I glanced around to check if my boss was nearby and noticed a new customer sitting at one of the tables in the back, staring at me until I caught him doing it.

Settling with a soft kiss on the lips rather than the intended passionate kiss, I left Liam's side and continued my work.

I approached the handsome newcomer and sensed an air of mystery around him that sparked my interest immediately.

The charming smile on his lips oozed of confidence and could probably allure most girls easily, so I reminded myself to be careful around him.

There were times when men _and_ women attempted alluring their way out of having to pay.

"What can I get for you, sir?" I asked, smiling kindly.

"Bourbon. Double shot and make it fast, beautiful," he replied and glanced in Liam's direction. "Is that your boyfriend over there?"

_Wow, that's never happened to me before. Someone doesn't seem to mind being direct,_ I thought and resisted the urge to appear offended.

"That's not really any of your business, sir. I'll get you your drink." I turned on my heel and returned to the bar, passing on to one of the bartenders what the man requested.

"Your secret admirer isn't bothering you, is he?" Liam asked, gazing at me worriedly. "Just say the word and I'll take care of him."

"Wait, what? I don't have a secret admirer," I replied, blushing. "If you're talking about the customer, then I've just met him."

Liam gazed at me in the same perplexed way Tyler did earlier, which made me wonder if there was a connection between the guy and this "Kol".

Shrugging, I carried the glass of bourbon back to the customer and handed it to him.

"Anything else I can get for you, sir?" I asked, trying to sound polite.

"Hmm… depends – what's on the menu today, beautiful?" he replied even though he had the menu right next to him.

There was something about him that made me feel incredibly agitated, as if this wasn't the first time he infuriated me with smartass comments.

"I… Why don't you take a look in the menu and then I'll get back to you in a few minutes?" I was nearly gritting my teeth, unsure of whether he was truly this dumb or just messing with me.

"Oh, but I want you to read it for me. I… uh, can't read." He handed the menu to me and leaned back in his seat, smirking smugly.

_Yup. He is definitely messing with me._

As much as I desired tossing his drink in his face and throwing him out, then the customer was always right and I was here to serve them.

So I reluctantly opened the menu and started reciting little detail on it as he kept questioning everything.

To say that it was frustration would be an understatement.

This man was a lunatic and wasting my time… or perhaps he was drunk.

I opted on both.

"Have you decided on what you wish to order, sir? I do have other customers…" I said, hoping that would make him hurry.

"Oh, I don't know… I think I'd rather look at the wine chart. Could you read that up for me as well?"

My patience snapped and I instinctively went to toss his drink in his face when Liam suddenly appeared by my side, glaring coldly at the customer.

"You've spent enough of her time, dude. I suggest you either give her a damn nice tip or we can take it outside," he said angrily. "Your choice."

The young man grinned and held up his hands in defeat, then stood up and downed his drink before leaving a bundle of money.

He leaned close to Liam's ear and whispered something into his ear that made his fists clench visibly, but left the Grill without any further problems.

"What was that all about?" I asked, picking up the money.

There was at least $500! Christ, who in their right mind left that much money as tip?

"Nothing you need to worry about, baby," he said, kissing the top of my head. "I need to go, but I will pick you up after work, okay?"

Nodding, I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes to reach his lips, kissing him lovingly and savoring the feeling of his strong arms around me.

When the kiss ended, he brushed a stray lock of my hair behind my ear and smiled weakly.

"There's a few things I want to tell you tonight. About my past and why I'm staying here," he said quietly. "It's nothing too bad, but I hope it won't scare you away."

"Nothing can scare me, Liam. I've experienced my share of freaky things," I said, grinning. "Ooh, my boss looks angry. Better go."

He chuckled and pecked my cheek quickly before leaving, allowing me to return to my duties without any distractions.

During my shift, Klaus also paid the Grill a visit, but he never approached me. He merely sat in his seat and watched me from afar, grinning darkly every now and then.

It was beginning to creep me out a bit to be honest.

Deciding that it wasn't safe for Liam to pick me up after work, I texted him and told him to meet me at the cinema instead.

As long as Klaus didn't know he existed, he would be safe and could have a somewhat normal relationship with a decent guy.

Sadly, it was impossible to go anywhere without running into a vampire in this town and Klaus in particular, snuck up behind me when I was unlocking my car.

"I see you took my advice regarding my brother," he said, smirking triumphantly. "It's for the better anyway. Kol is an Original after all and you're just a human. You'll grow old and die eventually."

"What? What the hell are you talking about? I don't know what Tyler told you, but I don't know anyone named Kol," I said, glaring at him. "Leave me alone. I'm needed somewhere else."

I attempted stepping into my car, but Klaus suddenly slammed me against the side of it and stared into my eyes, looking perplexed as well.

However, unlike the others who reacted this way, a look of relaxation followed and replaced his perplexed expression.

"My apologies… I see that my brother did the right thing," he said and gazed at my bare neck. "I hope you will speak to your brothers or I _will_ kill them – permanently. Understood?"

Frowning, I just nodded even though I was more than a little confused and quickly hurried into my car, driving off to the cinema.

Something strange was going on and I wanted to know why these people kept mentioning this particular name.

To add more confusion to my troubled mind, then I arrived at the cinema to find a bruised Liam waiting for me.

His knuckles and jaw were red and covered in abrasions from a recent fight along with a nasty bruise on his cheek that he couldn't hide.

"Oh my God! Are you okay? What happened?" I asked worriedly, examining the abrasions.

"It's nothing. I just got into a fight," he said, trying to seem unfazed by it. "Let's go inside. I'll buy you some popcorn and whatever candy you want."

He ushered me inside a little too urgently and seemed as if he was struggling to keep his temper under control the whole time.

When it was time for us to watch the movie, I noticed that he was unusually possessive of me and had his arm wrapped around me the entire time.

Someone must've infuriated him and I had a bad feeling of that it wasn't just some drunk dude or one of his former pack members doing.

"I need a quick restroom break," I whispered. "I will be right back, I promise."

Liam frowned. "Do you want me to go with you? I can wait outside and–"

I interrupted him with a kiss and smiled softly. "Don't be so overprotective. I can take care of myself – you know that. And it's just a restroom break."

He reluctantly allowed me to go alone, however, as I was passing the rows of seats in the cinema and about to exit it, I sensed that someone was watching me.

The eerie sensation remained even after I stepped into the girls' restroom.

Fearing that a vampire was nearby, I pulled out a small vervain bomb from my pocket before I left the stall and glanced around suspiciously in the quiet restroom.

It seemed as if I was the only one in here…

_Quit being so paranoid, Beth,_ I thought to myself. _Klaus isn't here and he doesn't even have a reason to be here._

I exhaled a breath of air I wasn't aware I was holding in and turned the faucet on, washing my hands calmly.

However, a dark shadow passed behind me all of a sudden, so I quickly turned around and armed myself again.

"Who's there? I know there's someone here!" I said, scrutinizing every bit of the restroom.

My cell phone suddenly started vibrating, so I gazed at the display and saw a message from Elena that made my heart skip a beat.

_**Klaus is dead. We won!**_

Wait, what? They finally got him? But how?

I wanted to tell the good news to Liam and rushed back to my seat, forgetting everything about the strange shadow in the restroom.

It could've been nothing, but it didn't even matter what it was anymore.

"Liam, you don't have to hide anymore. Klaus is dead. My friends managed to take him down," I said happily.

"That's great news. One Original down – four more to go," he said and kissed my lips.

I frowned, wondering if I just heard him correctly. "What? What do you mean with 'four more to go'? Klaus is villain."

Someone shushed us before Liam could explain everything, forcing me to wait until the end of the movie to get my answers.

One agonizing hour later, we were walking together towards my car and all I could think about were the questions I had for Liam.

Despite being a kind, protective and compassionate man, then he seemed to have a dark past he wasn't too happy discussing with anyone.

I leaned against my car and gazed expectantly at him, hoping he would give me a good explanation.

"So… how did you really get those injuries?" I asked suspiciously.

"I told you. I was in a fight," he replied cryptically. "I bet you're wondering what I wanted to talk with you about."

"Sure am. You didn't just come here because of your pack, did you?"

He shook his head and leaned against the car beside me, gazing down at me. "It's no secret that werewolves hate vampires. They've driven us near to extinction – the Originals in particular. I've had it. No more werewolves should die because of their fear towards us."

"So you want to kill the other Originals? So the entire vampire race vanishes?"

He nodded and folded his arms. "Werewolves were here first. Vampires are… unnatural. They were created with dark magic."

I sighed heavily. "Liam, you can't go after four Originals on your own. I mean I hardly understand how they could take down Klaus."

He shrugged and turned to stand in front of me, his hands resting on my shoulders. "But that's just it, Beth. They took down Klaus. His siblings aren't as strong as him and I have my eye on one particular Original, who can't seem to take a hint."

Venom dripped in his voice as he spoke of this particular Original, making me wonder if he'd been fighting him or her tonight.

"I don't know… I've met the other Originals. Rebekah and Elijah aren't as bad as Klaus."

"They might seem good, but they aren't. Believe me."

He suddenly shifted his gaze to something I couldn't see in the dimly lit parking lot, listening carefully for unnatural sounds.

"Let's go somewhere else. Someone's watching us," he said quietly and opened the door for me. "I have something else I need to tell you."

Remaining quiet, I followed his suggestion and drove to his motel while trying to comprehend what might be going on tonight.

He thought it would be best if we went into his room, so I followed him hesitantly.

"You're scaring me, Liam. What's going on? You've been so protective of me all night."

His jaw tensed up and he sat down on his bed, signaling me to sit down beside him. "I know, but I'll explain that later."

"What did you want to tell me tonight then?" I leaned back slightly, gazing at him curiously.

"How I became a werewolf. Do you know how a werewolf trigger his or hers curse?"

I nodded, remembering being told this by Alaric when he went through the species. "If they kill someone – accident or not – they trigger the curse."

"Exactly. I've triggered mine, which means I will turn at the next full moon."

_Oh…_ I began feeling a little uncomfortable, because from what I'd gathered from Tyler, the transformations were pretty painful.

"How did it happen? Did you trigger it by accident or…?" I gulped nervously.

"A bit of both, I guess. My father was an alcoholic with a pretty bad temper. He would hurt my mother and me often. One night, a vampire killed my mother. It was my dad's fault. He shouldn't have picked a fight with a vampire and showed that he was a werewolf."

He frowned and ran his fingers through his blond hair, seeming distressed or anxious. I placed my hand on his and caressed it soothingly to calm him down.

"When I was 15, my dad spent most of his time raging at me and wanted me to trigger my curse – so I'd be like him. We fought and in a fit of rage, I killed him."

Dear God… I couldn't imagine how hard that must've been.

"I'm so sorry, Liam. Is that why you hate vampires so much?"

"Partly. They're careless creatures, Beth. That's what I want you to know. I hope you will help me ridding the world of them."

Perhaps it was for the best that these vampires vanished…

I was beginning to think that my brothers might be right about vampires and considered joining them now.

"Okay," I said softly and met his eyes. "I'll help you. But only if you tell me who you fought tonight and why you're so alert."

He growled quietly and stood up to gaze out of the window. "We've been followed all night by your secret admirer. I believe his name is Kol? You don't remember him, do you?"

Wait, the man at the Grill was an Original? This situation just got a little more complicated…

* * *

**A/N2: ****Hey again! I gotta be honest. I'm not quite satisfied with this chapter and might re-write it unless you guys like it. **

******If you think I should rewrite it, then let me know. I will still upload the next chapter tomorrow to show my gratitude for all the reviews.**

******Thanks for reading and please review!**


	18. I'd Rather Die

**A/N: Hey! So after reading the reviews, I've decided that I won't rewrite the previous chapter.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews - I appreciate each and every one of them!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 18:

It was late when I drove home from Liam's and I was struggling to keep my eyes open.

We'd spent hours talking about what to do in the following days and how we should approach the remaining Originals without dying in the process.

Liam believed my 'secret admirer' aka Kol Mikaelson had done something to my memory since I was unable to remember ever meeting him.

I wasn't sure if I even wanted to remember whatever I'd forgotten.

Sometimes, it was best if certain things to remain forgotten and I certainly didn't want any more troubles in my life.

Turning on the radio and allowing the cool breeze to enter the car, I attempted staying awake long enough for me to get home safely.

The music stimulated me a little and kept me wide-awake, however, out of nowhere a young woman suddenly showed up in the middle of the road.

I freaked and swerved off the road in a fast pace, crashing into a tree hard as I tried avoiding her.

Luckily, my seatbelt kept me from flying out of the window, but my body ached everywhere from the sudden collision.

I was stuck between the dashboard and my seat, so there was no way I would be able to get out on my own.

Groaning in agony, I searched for my phone that had fallen out of my pocket when the door suddenly flung open.

"Well, isn't that unfortunate?" the woman said, baring her fangs at me. "I could kill you just now and no one would know."

"_But you're not going to, because he told us to get her alive,_" a male voice said.

The blonde haired vampire rolled her eyes and took out a pocket knife, cutting my seatbelt open so she could drag me out of the car.

I cried out loudly as a sharp pain struck my side, making me wonder if I'd broken a rib or two during the collision.

I could see the owner of the male voice much clearer now, though, and he looked far from friendly-looking with his dark red eyes and elongated fangs.

"Are you sure this is her, Drake?" the female asked, fixating her eyes on my neck. "She seems… too young and weak to be a hunter."

"She's a Dawson, alright. Let's get out of here before someone sees us," Drake replied and grabbed my arm, forcing me to stand up. "Make a sound and I'll cut your tongue out, got it?"

I nodded nervously and felt a rush of adrenaline going through my body as they dashed off to a new location with me.

Whoever these vampires were, then it was obvious that they knew me and had been following me for a while.

They were silent as they forced me into an old warehouse in the neighboring town and treated me roughly despite already being in pain from my injuries.

Bastards.

I attempted fleeing a couple of times, but my injuries made it impossible for me to fight properly.

Besides the broken ribs, I knew my left arm was dislocated and bruises were beginning to show on my stomach.

"Who are you taking me to?" I asked worriedly.

They both laughed haughtily at my question and pushed me into an office upstairs, slamming the door shut behind me.

The office was dimly lit and quiet, but as I gazed up, I saw a slightly older man with gray-striped black hair standing in front of me.

He was in his late thirties and wore expensive clothes, so to the untrained eye he would look like a normal businessman.

However, I sensed that he was something far more dangerous than a simple man with money. He was a vampire and without a doubt much older than he appeared to be.

"Hello, Miss Dawson," he greeted and offered his hand. "My name is Noah. You don't know me, but I know you… or rather your family."

I refused to take his hand and forced myself to stand up. "I don't care who you are. You better let me go or–"

"I'm afraid that is something I cannot do," he interrupted and flashed his fangs at me. "You see, I have a bone to pick with your family. Those adamant brothers of yours, in particular."

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a chair, forcing me to sit down as he started taping my hands and feet to it quickly.

"It's nothing personal. Well, it is in a way, isn't it? They killed my followers, so perhaps I should kill you in return… It would be much more satisfying to see them suffer, though."

"But I have nothing to do with this! I don't even know you!"

He grinned and grabbed me so hard by my jaw that I dreaded he would break it. "You will now, sweetheart. I will make you hunters suffer for killing my kind."

Leaving me in the chair, he walked up to his desk to fetch a sharp knife and then returned to me with a sinister look in his eyes.

"For years, your family and kind have hunted us down – staked us in the heart or left us to burn in the sun. We are not animals, Miss Dawson. We're above you pathetic humans."

He sunk the blade down into my flesh and started drawing blood from my arm. "Why don't you tell me where your brothers currently are? I promise I'll heal you then."

I gritted my teeth and tried keeping myself from screaming in agony, but the intense pain brought tears to my eyes.

"Forget it! I'd rather die than tell you anything!" I hissed, spitting blood mixed with saliva in his face.

A feral growl escaped his lips and he slapped me hard across my face. "Don't temp me. I have little patience with you humans."

He sunk his fangs deep into my neck this time and savagely drank my blood, forcing me to scream at last.

His face smeared with my blood, he pulled back and grinned wickedly when he saw the tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Had enough yet? It's only going to get worse, Miss Dawson. And I hate to ruin such a pretty face…" He slid the blade down my cheek gently and then held it to my throat. "Where are they?"

I gulped nervously and dreaded what he would do to me next, so I lied: "I don't know."

"Wrong answer." He buried the knife deep into my stomach and twisted it painfully, making me scream at the top of my lungs.

A flashback of Kol attacking me and inflicting the same amount of pain flashed before my eyes until Noah withdrew the knife.

Since I was bleeding out and he needed me alive, he slit his wrist and forced me to drink his blood, waiting until I was completely healed.

He then dragged another chair to me and sat down in front of me, looking slightly exasperated by my stubbornness.

"What do you I have to say to make you give up? Threaten to kill your parents? Your boyfriend? Friends?"

"You can go shove that knife up where the sun doesn't shine. Preferably, on yourself," I said through clenched teeth.

His lip twitched and he suddenly whistled, signaling someone – Drake – to enter the room. He walked up to Drake and whispered something into his ear, which made Drake smirk darkly.

"I'm gonna leave the two of you alone together. It's been a while since Drake's had female company and he does like them young," Noah said, hinting at what would happen soon. "Try not to bite her too hard. The others will get jealous."

Noah laughed darkly and then left his office, leaving me alone with the immortal pervert.

_That's just fucking great,_ I thought. _I'm gonna get… _The mere thought of it made my face pale and my stomach tie knots.

Drake approached me calmly and started cutting my uniform off, taking his sweet time with every piece of fabric that covered my body.

"You don't have to do this," I said frantically. "Please, don't do this. _Please._"

He chuckled softly and placed the blade of the knife under my chin. "Shut up, hunter. I'm the last guy you should ask for mercy from."

The blade of the knife trailed slowly down to my bra and a playful smirk appeared on his lips. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun. Such a young, pretty little thing…"

I felt like vomiting and wriggled in my seat when he went to cut it off.

Unfortunately, the movements were doing more damage to my body and didn't stop him from exposing more skin.

"You hunters all think you're better than us. You're just as brutal. Did you know one of your relatives killed my girlfriend? Cut her head clean off."

I bit down on my bottom lip to keep myself from whimpering and did my best to remain completely quiet.

He couldn't know I was terrified and didn't deserve that satisfaction.

However, as he was slipping the knife down to my shorts, screams suddenly sounded from outside and Noah returned to his office, looking distressed.

"Keep her fucking silent! There's an Original here asking for her," he hissed. "It's Kol."

Drake's eyes widened in horror and while Noah left the office again, he placed a piece of duct tape on my lips to silence me.

"You better be quiet or I'm slitting more than just your throat, girl," he threatened.

He locked the door and blocked it with the desk, listening carefully every now and then while the screams went on and on.

In the meantime, I started moving around in the chair and breaking free, using the moment of distraction to escape.

My wrist broke as I slipped it out of the tape, but it was better than nothing and allowed me to search for my weapons.

I found the vervain grenade in my pocket and decided to throw it at Drake's face when he turned around, causing him to let out a scream of agony.

The scream must've caught someone's attention, because someone was trying to get into the office.

Unfortunately, for me, it wasn't who I hoped it would be but Noah and he didn't shy away from punishing me physically.

"You foolish little bitch," he growled, taping my injured hand back to the chair tightly. "I wouldn't have guessed that a hunter like you had become Kol's pet. I'm impressed, but I'm not done with you just yet."

Kol's pet? Why did that sound so familiar?

A necklace sprung to my mind, but I wasn't sure why or what it meant.

"You gotta let me finish what I started," Drake said, baring his fangs at me. "I can't let her get away with that."

Noah chuckled and shook his head. "You will get her later. We can use her… maybe even get Kol to do the dirty work for us? He seemed pretty obsessed about finding her."

Drake was told to deliver a message to Kol, so I was once again left alone with the sadistic vampire.

_Please make this stop. I don't know how much longer I can endure this._

"Tell me a little about your relationship with Kol… how did that happen?" Noah asked, holding the knife to my throat again.

"I don't have a relationship with him. I don't know him. All I know is that he's an Original," I said honestly. "But you don't have to find my brothers. If you want revenge, then kill me."

I was hoping he wasn't aware of my resurrection ring, because if they killed me and dropped the body somewhere, I'd be able to get away from them.

"As tempting as that sounds, then I like sending a message…"

"_So do I,_" Kol said, appearing at the entrance holding someone's heart. "I believe this belongs to your messenger…?"

He dropped the heart indifferently and cast one look at me, raw anger flashing in his eyes at the sight of me like this.

"I don't like being lied to, Noah. You know what I do to liars?"

"Frankly, I don't give a damn what you do to them. You shouldn't have fallen for someone like her, because I can use that to my advantage… Go near us and I'll kill her. Get me her brothers and I won't."

"Are you blackmailing me? She's just a pet. I'll get a new one if you kill her." He smirked smugly and seemed completely calm. "You on the other hand won't be so lucky."

Noah snorted. "You're bluffing. I saw the way you searched for her. Quite pathetic if you ask me, but hey – we all have our weaknesses."

He held the sharp blade dangerously close to my throat and started adding pressure. I could feel my blood trickling down my exposed chest and saw a twitch in Kol's lip.

"You're not going to kill her. You need her to get your revenge," Kol stepped closer to us and bared his fangs. "Let her go and I might let you live."

Noah scoffed. "Clearly, you underestimate me, Kol."

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my chest as he stabbed me in my heart, twisting the knife in the most excruciating way while Kol did nothing.

A few seconds before I exhaled my last breath, I saw Kol dashing towards Noah with his face all vamped up.

I never heard Noah scream or sensed what happened to me.

The familiar darkness consumed my mind and broke a little more of the barrier between Vanessa and I.

I could sense her hatred towards vampires, the heartache of having lost someone she once loved and something much darker and sinister that drove her to insanity.

The darkness was shattered by a bright light and through the light emerged the form of a man, whom I recognized instantly.

A wave of memories came flooding back of him and I meeting each other for the first time, of the times he'd hurt me and made me feel content.

Along with the memories came the latest one of him taking away my memories and leaving an empty space in my heart where he once was.

"When you make someone forget about you, you're not supposed to turn into a creepy stalker, you know," I said coldly, folding my arms. "You can't let go, can you?"

Kol shrugged and stopped in front of me, holding the golden necklace he stole from me after he wiped out my memories of him.

"I tried. I wanted to make sure you were happy… how pathetic is that? I'm actually caring about someone besides myself," he said sardonically. "Does the werewolf make you happy?"

I shrugged as well and secretly enjoyed the fact that he was unable to let me go. It showed how he truly felt about me and reminded me that there was more to Kol than his confident façade.

"Why did you get in a fight with him?"

Kol smiled faintly. "I was bored… and might have been jealous seeing you two together. He's a good fighter and protective. He's what you need in your life."

I raised a brow and smirked. "You sure about that? What if I need something else? Like… excitement, danger, passion..."

His lips parted but no words were uttered, so I stepped back and turned around, sensing someone else's presence in the dark realm.

I closed my eyes for a moment to clear my mind and when I opened them again, a familiar woman stood before me.

"Vanessa," I breathed, clearly not expecting this.

Even Kol seemed surprised to see her and instinctively pushed me away from her as if he expected the worst to happen.

"You are a fool, Kol," Vanessa said, her voice laced with venom. "She is not yours. Let her go and I shall perhaps spare your miserable life."

"You're dead, Vanessa," Kol growled. "She isn't yours to use. I won't let the darkness consume her as well. You gave up. You let it quench your fire."

Vanessa's eyes suddenly turned pitch black and she swung a stake at Kol, so I quickly rushed in front of him and felt a sharp pain in my chest.

They were both shocked by my sudden decision to protect Kol, but my decision banished Vanessa from my mind for now.

I collapsed into Kol's embrace and winced when he pulled the stake out of my chest.

"When I wake up, you either vanish from my life completely or make me remember," I said breathlessly, feeling the darkness around us crumpling. "Stop fooling yourself, Kol."

My eyelids were becoming heavier and my senses were returning, alerting me that I would soon wake up alive and well.

* * *

**A/N2: Hey! My muse is on fire this week, so I might write another chapter today and upload it either tomorrow or in two days from now.**

**Either way, I'd like to thank you all for bringing my passion for writing back!**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	19. All or Nothing

**A/N: Hellooo! This chapter is gonna be really good -insert perv smile- **

**I think I might be crossing over to rated M though e.e**

**Thanks for the awesome reviews!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 19:

The flash of a bright light awakened me from my deep slumber and I found myself staring at a blurry figure dressed in white.

As I blinked a few times to clear my vision, I realized that I was lying in a hospital bed and being examined by Dr. Fell.

She stepped back and allowed my mother to shower me with kisses, tears trickling down her mascara-smudged cheeks.

"We know what happened to you," she whispered into my ear. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. I promise these vampires will pay for it."

I frowned and gazed at my brothers, slowly starting to remember what occurred in the warehouse and the excruciating pain I had to go through.

Physically, all that showed was a few bruises on my body, but mentally I was scarred all over.

Of course, my car crash had to be ruled out as a mere accident, but we all knew what happened to me and it was evident that my brothers felt responsible for it.

"I don't want that vampire near our daughter. I appreciate that he healed her, but he is no good for her," Dad said after Dr. Fell left. "I told you this life isn't for her. She's not like you, Gabrielle."

"She's not a child anymore! I taught her how to defend herself against these vampires," Mom said, shaking her head. "Mark, Danny, none of this was your fault. You did the right thing attacking them years ago."

"Did we really?" Mark questioned. "Beth suffered because of it. We're her brothers. We're supposed to keep her safe – not get her in harm's way."

"We should've listened to you, Beth. I'm so sorry," Danny said. "It is our fault you were kidnapped. We'll leave Klaus alone."

My dad frowned. "But we can't let these Originals invade our town. Since they came, there's been more deaths than ever. It can't keep up like this."

I sat silently and watched them as they discussed the topic, unsure of what to think of this situation.

Therefore, I snuck out of the bed and abandoned them in the room, walking down the hall in my hospital gown to find a vending machine.

I needed peace and something to eat – preferably chocolate or Skittles.

In my search for a vending machine, I found the waiting area and saw Liam sitting in one side of the room while Kol sat in the other; both were glaring coldly at each other.

The last thing I remembered before Noah stabbed me was Kol dashing towards me, a look of sheer panic flashing in his eyes.

There was no doubt that he loved me even if I couldn't remember if I loved him back.

"Beth!" Liam exclaimed when he noticed me. "You shouldn't be up. You need to rest."

He approached me while Kol remained seated, smiling weakly to himself as if something amused him immensely.

"I was looking for a vending machine. I'm hungry," I replied. "But I just realized that I don't even have any money on me…"

Liam laughed softly and kissed my forehead. "C'mon, then. I think I saw one when I walked through the hospital."

"Um… why don't you go get some skittles for me? I need to talk with Kol first. I owe him a 'thank you' for saving me…"

He didn't seem overly fond of the idea, but he was unable to say no to me after everything I'd been through, so he left me alone with Kol and the other visitors.

I walked up to Kol slowly and sat down on the chair beside him, feeling sore all over and so tired.

"You don't have to thank me," Kol said before I spoke. "You've shown your gratitude to me. I was hoping for a 'thank you' from your family, though."

"Don't expect to get one. They're arguing over who's right, wrong or guilty," I said and sighed. "I know you have feelings for me. That's why you wasted my time when I served you and showed up in the warehouse."

Kol nodded and gazed into my eyes. "You can remember everything I made you forget. You need these memories… I love you, Beth."

Turmoil emotions and memories returned to my mind and overwhelmed me to the point that it hurt more than the physical pain I had to endure, but it made me feel so alive.

I touched my neck instinctively and frowned when I couldn't feel the necklace.

It was still in Kol's hands, but he didn't hand it to me as I expected he would now that he knew how I felt about him.

"I'm not good for you, Beth. Whatever you decide, then keep in mind whatever is best for you," he said and stood up as Liam returned with a handful of skittles. "Isn't that cute! You're not only a servant of the moon anymore."

"Go rot in a coffin, bloodsucker!" Liam retorted.

Kol smirked mischievously and winked, then walked out of the waiting room with the necklace dangling from his hand.

He wanted to know if I thought he was worth the struggle.

My heart thought he was worth every bit of pain I went through since I met him, but my mind reminded me that there was no predetermined future with him.

I wouldn't know if we would be together five months from now or break up, because we grew bored of each other.

So I did indeed have a lot to consider before I made a choice.

And I also couldn't just forget the way Liam made me feel…

"Let's go back to my room. Surely, they must've noticed I'm gone," I said, pecking his cheek.

"Hmm, well you must be exhausted so allow me to make it easier for you," he said and suddenly picked me up into his arms. "I should've been the one to save you. Not that… douche bag."

"It doesn't matter, Liam. You're still my knight in shining armor."

He chuckled softly and carried me to my room where my parents were anxiously waiting while my brothers seemed to be searching for me.

They still didn't know Liam was a werewolf and with everything going on, I thought it was best to remain quiet about it.

"I have to return to work, I'm afraid. But just rest and get better, okay?" Dad said, hugging me gently. "I love you so much, Beth."

"I love you too, Dad," I whispered. "Don't worry about me. I will be fine."

After he'd left the room, I sat in the bed with Liam while my mother went to find my brothers, eating the skittles and enjoying the peace with him.

"I hate to seem possessive, but… what did you and Kol talk about?" Liam asked curiously, kissing my knuckles sweetly.

"Sure you want to know?" I replied, knowing I had to tell the truth to him.

"Of course. I can handle it."

"Okay… he removed the compulsion on me and made me remember everything I'd forgotten."

Liam's jaw tensed up. "Oh…"

"I'll be honest; Kol and I have a lot of history, but him giving my memories back… it doesn't change the way I feel about you. I really like you, Liam."

"But you have feelings for him too? Despite what he is and what he's done?" Liam was obviously feeling threatened by Kol's presence.

I needed to make this decision quickly, because I couldn't string both of them along forever.

"I do," I admitted. "But he is an Original and I'm afraid he'll be the death of me one day."

Liam frowned and leaned his head back against the headboard. "This is ridiculous. There shouldn't be any confusion. He's a raging psychopath and will break your heart, Beth."

"I know. I'm not a stupid girl looking to change a bad vampire. I understand that he's dangerous."

"Then what's stopping you? You're a rational and good girl, Beth. Why would you want to be with him?"

I smiled softly and gazed at him. "That's just it, Liam. I'm not a good girl. I like adventures, danger and being afraid. It makes me feel alive."

He gazed at me as if I was crazy. "I'm not backing down. I will still kill him when I get the chance and you can either be with me or not."

It was painful having to cut ties with one of them, but it needed to be done. "Then I know what's right for me… I'm done pretending to be something I'm not."

Liam growled quietly. "You're making a mistake, Beth. Remember that when he leaves you to die to save his own ass."

Crawling out of the bed, Liam grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the room, unmistakably heading towards the one person, who ruined his relationship.

I sent a text to Kol, warning him about Liam and then went to bed, needing some more rest before I told him the good news.

Falling asleep, I finally felt peace in my heart and only hoped that Kol would be safe even if Liam couldn't possibly kill him on his own.

A part of me hoped he would invade my dreams, but to do so he would have to visit me and Liam might be waiting for him there.

I woke up in the middle of the night to find my brothers struggling to stay awake as they sat watching over me.

I was grateful that they were going to stop chasing vampires and didn't blame them for what happened to me.

They were a product of my centuries of hatred for vampires from my mother's side of the family.

By the time morning came, the room was filled with dozens of flowers in all of the rainbow's colors and balloons hung on the end of the bed with wishes of me getting better.

My immediate thought was that Kol was behind this until Kayla and Emma entered the room carrying more balloons.

"Ahh, she's awake! Thank God," Emma exclaimed and quickly hugged me tightly. "We've been so freakin' worried! We heard you had a car accident."

"Oh, Christ! You're smothering me, Em! I'm fine! How did you girls afford this many flowers and balloons?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, that totally hot guy you've been seeing gave us some money. He's so sweet. Why again aren't you dating him?" Kayla replied, giggling.

"Kol?" I blushed brightly. "I don't know… but I think I should date him."

I opened a pack of skittles and threw some at my sleeping brothers, startling them awake from their deep slumber.

"Oh, shit! Wait, what the hell?" Danny exclaimed, gazing sleepily around.

"You morons fell asleep," I said teasingly. "Thank you for the flowers and balloons, girls. I'm sorry I made you both worried. I guess I was just too tired to drive when it happened."

"Next time you are, then call one of us. I'm serious. It's a luck you didn't get seriously injured," Emma scolded. "Sadly, we have to go to school now, but we'll be back later today."

I nodded understandingly, hugging both of them tightly before watching them leaving.

"I'm starving. I'm gonna get us something to eat. What do you want, Beth?" Mark asked, stretching his body.

"Uhh, surprise me," I replied and felt my stomach growling. "You guys shouldn't have watched over me all night, though."

"Of course we did," Danny said. "It's our fault you're in the hospital. When you were brought in, you were in much worse shape, but Kol healed you. He seems like a douche."

I laughed. "He is a douche. But he can be kind when he wants to. It isn't your fault, though. These vampires obviously wanted to harm humans. There are two different kinds of vampires, you know."

"I know now. What happened to Liam? He stormed out and looked pretty pissed off."

I gulped nervously. "We… broke up. I'm in love with Kol. Don't tell Mom and Dad."

Danny groaned. "Are you serious? A vampire?"

"I'm serious. It's crazy, but I enjoy spending time with him. He makes me happy."

"As long as he treats you right, I'll leave him be."

I didn't comment on that or mentioned the times Kol had actually killed me, because I was certain his hatred for vampires would return then.

When Mark returned with three sandwiches and some cold drinks, we sat eating together and talked about what I'd missed while I was gone.

I was concerned about Alaric's sudden decision to out the mayor and sheriff, but I knew how powerful the darkness in the resurrection ring could be.

He needed to be stopped before he hurt someone and that couldn't happen when he was linked to Elena thanked to Esther.

I dreaded how I would become if the darkness that consumed Vanessa would begin consuming me as well.

I could still sense it lurking in my mind somewhere – waiting for the barrier between us to break down completely.

"Dad texted me. We need to go help him out," Danny said, giving Mark that _look_. "Will you be fine on your own, sis?"

"Yeah, Kayla and Emma will be back in a few hours. What's happened though?" I asked worriedly.

"We're not sure. I think it might be Alaric again. He's pretty much taken over the council. I still can't believe our cousin is a hybrid! Unbelievable…" he muttered.

He shook his head and ruffled my hair after Mark had embraced me tightly, earning a glare from me, because I hated whenever he did that.

I groaned at the sight of dried blood on my hair and decided to wash it in the bathroom in a slightly awkward position over the sink.

It would've been better with shampoo and conditioner, but I wasn't allowed to go home yet.

Fortunately, I managed washing my mane-like hair and braided it to keep it out of my face. I returned to find Kol lying on my bed, a rose between his teeth and a stupid smirk on his face.

"Why are you wearing a white coat?" I asked, frowning.

The coat appeared to belong to someone named E. Oswald, so I assumed he'd stolen it somewhere for the fun of it.

"Well, I'm your new doctor, of course! I'm Dr. Kol Mikaelson," he said, tossing the rose to me. "I do believe I need to make an oral examination of you."

I caught the rose and inhaled the sweet scent, hiding the smile on my lips, because I didn't want Kol to see how he made me feel.

"Your coat says your name is E. Oswald, idiot," I said and approached him. "That's my bed by the way."

"By the way, I don't care. Come take it back if you want it." He winked flirtatiously, so I crawled up on the bed and grabbed the pillow, smothering him with it much to his surprise.

He flailed wildly and managed getting the pillow out of my grasp, grinning when he rolled on top of me and suddenly was back in charge.

"Hey, hey, that's no way to treat your savior, is it? I'm pretty sure you owe me a kiss," he said teasingly, pinning my hands above my head. "You are my pet after all…"

"Oh, yeah? I don't see anything that signals that. Like… a necklace, for example!"

Kol groaned and searched his pocket for the necklace, so I took the opportunity to retrieve the pillow and swung the pillow at his head, but the bastard swiftly ducked and attacked my lips with kisses to distract me.

His plan worked perfectly, because it felt as if my entire body turned into jelly when our lips met in a passionate kiss.

Our playful mood was replaced with a burning carnal desire that changed the atmosphere in the room completely.

I couldn't take the yearning anymore.

Driven by the adrenalin rush and desire for him, I pushed past a limit I never imagined I would cross with him and allowed myself to be his completely.

Kol noticed the urgency in my kisses, so he swiftly grabbed a chair and used it to keep the door shut, ensuring that no one would walk in on us.

I tugged my panties off and felt his lips crashing hard onto mine again as he moved his hands up under the hem of my gown.

His touch sent my skin on fire and sparked the dark side in me – the part that enjoyed danger and desired losing its inhibitions.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, waiting expectantly for the inevitable pain I would soon experience, as we became one.

Kol's fangs grazed my neck and sunk deep into my flesh, distracting me from the sharp pain he inflicted inside me.

It took every bit of my self-control to keep myself from crying out from the sheer pleasure.

"You okay?" Kol whispered, gazing worriedly at me.

I bit down on my bottom lip and nodded, refusing to stop now when we'd gone this far. It was all or nothing and I wanted to savor every bit of it.

Changing our positions, I pinned his arms beside his head and took control, slowly moving my hips in a less painful and more pleasurable way.

He tugged the gown off my body and ran his fingertips down along my body, making me shiver slightly of excitement.

Sitting up, he crashed his lips onto mine again and buried his fingers in my hair, meeting every one of my movements.

I had to be honest.

Never in my life did I imagine I would lose my virginity to 1000 years old vampire, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Kol was everything I wanted and needed in my crazy life.

And damn could he give pleasure!

By the time, we were spent and I was resting in Kol's embrace, I tried figuring out something to say, but what did you say after an Original rocked your world?

I certainly didn't want to tell him the truth and boost his ego…

"You sucked," I said teasingly, my cheeks still feeling warm and my body was sorer than before. "I mean… that was the worst thing ever."

Kol smirked mischievously and gazed down at me.

"Hmm, is that why you pleaded me not to stop? Admit it, Beth! I was the best f–"

"Shhh, don't spoil the moment…" I touched the golden necklace on my neck and smiled weakly.

Kol kissed the top of my head and suddenly crawled out of the bed. "As much as I'd like to stay, then your friends are on their way. You can brag all you want about how I fulfilled your desires."

I rolled my eyes and tossed the pillow at him as he pulled his pants on. "Sure. I'll tell them how much of a disappointment you were."

Kol narrowed his eyes at me and tossed my panties to me. "Oh, yeah? I can still take that necklace back and find a new pet…"

My eyes widened. "Fine, fine. Now get the hell outta here, jerk… I love you."

He flashed his trademark smirk and chuckled. "I love you too, Beth."

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	20. The Inevitable

**A/N: Hellooo, thank you for the reviews and constructive criticism.**

**I think I'll change the rate from T to M as I have a feeling there will be more sex scenes in this story... **

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 20

_Deep breath, Beth. Deep breath,_ I thought, feeling strange about seeing Liam at the Grill.

He sat at the bar and sipped a beer silently, texting someone every now and then and sending me deadly glares.

It was safe to say that he hated me for choosing Kol.

I tried avoiding him whenever I could and let the other waitresses serve him or asked Matt to help me out.

The days following my accident were painfully slow, but at least I was able to enjoy Kol's random displays of affection for me.

He appeared when I least expected it and kissed me as if the world would end in an hour.

However, after hearing that his brother had been desiccated and that Crazy Alaric was on the loose in town, he decided to keep a low profile.

So I rarely saw him during the day except for when he surprised me.

"Is your boyfriend hiding like a coward?" Liam asked, passing me on his way out.

He was slightly drunk and obviously agitated, because his eyes were glowing dark yellow, so I decided to stay calm.

It was best not to provoke a hurting wolf.

"Liam, what do you want me to say? I can't stop being in love with him. It's not that simple," I said, dreading how he would react.

"It's never that fucking simple, is it? But enjoy whoring around with a dead guy. Don't expect me to take you back when he breaks your heart."

I sighed heavily. "You should go home. You're drunk."

Stepping back, I walked around him and searched for Matt, asking him if he needed any help closing up the Grill today.

"Are you okay? You look upset," he said, frowning. "Is it Liam?"

"He… no, don't worry about it. I'm just tired, I guess. I owe you a big favor if you do this for me," I said pleadingly.

Matt glanced in Liam's direction and nodded understandingly, telling me to text him if something happened later.

I thanked him and finished my shift early, heading out to the parking lot while I texted my dad.

Since my car was pretty much a wreck, he picked me up after work, but it wasn't that dark today, so I figured it couldn't hurt walking home.

He had enough on his table as it was with Alaric and his new rules.

I turned my iPod on and plugged in the ear buds, letting one of my new favorite songs blast in my ears, and distract me from my worries.

The sun was setting beautifully in the horizon and casting a mesmerizing crimson glow in the sky, but in a few hours, the ominous full moon would outshine it.

I needed to be home before Liam turned and hoped Kol wouldn't be hanging around outside tonight.

I'd heard the bite of a werewolf was lethal to vampires, but what would it do to an Original?

Luckily, I managed reaching my home safely and walked straight to my bedroom since my mother was visiting her half-sister at last.

I would warm a pizza or something later to satisfy my hunger.

Or at least I thought so until I walked downstairs to the kitchen to find Kol standing naked inside it, wearing merely an apron that covered little of his backside.

"Oh, Jesus!" I exclaimed, instantly covering my eyes. "The horror! My eyes are burning!"

Kol chuckled softly and abandoned the vegetables he was chopping to remove my hands from my eyes.

"Don't pretend like you don't like it. I'm the sexiest stud you will ever meet," he said, grinning.

"Oh, I don't know… Damon is pretty hot, you know. And Elijah's got class. Seeing him in that suit… damn!"

Kol rolled his eyes and suddenly pulled me inappropriately close to him, squeezing my backside with a playful smirk on his lips.

"Don't tempt me. We all know I'm the hotter Original. Now take a seat or join me – although that requires you taking off your clothes as well."

He winked and kissed my lips softly before returning to the vegetables.

_He thinks I'm going to back out of a challenge like that? Well, two can play that game!_

While Kol continued chopping, I silently peeled my clothes off and grabbed an apron as well. He noticed me as I grabbed the knife from him and did a onceover before whistling appreciatively.

"Getting cocky, are we? Hmm, I'll have to do something about that," he said, grinning.

"Not to ruin the moment or anything, but… shouldn't you be sad? Your brother is in a coffin somewhere – about to get thrown in the Atlantic Ocean," I said.

Kol shrugged and checked something in the oven. Whatever it was, then it smelled incredible and I couldn't wait to taste it.

"He deserves it. Do you even know how many times he's daggered us? More than once, I'll tell you that."

I frowned. "How about your siblings? Rebekah was pretty close to him…"

The last thing we needed was Rebekah taking revenge.

"She's… you know, Rebekah. She'll get over it. Elijah, on the other hand, wants to get Klaus' body and relocate. He thinks it's best if we leave town and let Alaric chase us till Elena dies naturally."

I stopped chopping as realization struck and gulped nervously.

_Is that what the kisses were about? He's going to leave me?_

"Oh…" I finished chopping the vegetables and remained silent throughout the rest of the cooking, feeling a knot tying in my stomach.

By the time we sat eating the delicious dinner, I was unable to enjoy it and it was painfully noticeable to Kol.

"I have to leave, Bethany. I need to keep them safe… and you too. Alaric will use you to lure me out," he said solemnly.

"You knew this before we… slept together?" I asked, setting my fork down.

Kol fell silent, which I was enough answer to me. I abandoned the table and picked up my clothes, running back upstairs to my bedroom.

I wasn't angry at him for still sleeping with me, but I _was_ angry at him for first telling me that he was leaving now.

"I wanted to ask you something tonight," Kol said, appearing beside me. "I want you to come with me. I know it's not… the ideal life for you. We'll have to move a lot, be careful about where we go and what we do, and we can't make friends."

"And what about me? I'll grow old... unless you had something else in mind for me," I said, raising an eyebrow.

Kol nodded, confirming my suspicion. "You'd like being a vampire. You don't have to choose now. You can join us later if you want to."

I wasn't so sure if I was ready for that many changes in my life…

I sat down on the bed next to Kol and savored the comfort I felt when he wrapped his arm around me to pull me closer to him.

"I need to think about it, Kol. I can't decide on that right now and here," I said and groaned. "When are you leaving?"

"Perhaps tonight. I'm waiting for Elijah to contact me," he said and shook his head a little. "We should eat before the food gets cold."

I barely had time to object, because he picked me up into his arms and dashed back downstairs to the dinner table where our dinner awaited us.

_Guess that's the end of the discussion…_

We ate once again in silence and sadly, the tension between just didn't falter away.

I decided that we needed to distract each other from the inevitable, so I abandoned my seat and crawled up on Kol's lap, kissing him tenderly.

He relaxed as seconds passed slowly by and wrapped his arms around me.

He brushed his fingers gently over my skin under the fabric of my blouse and sent a tingling sensation through my body.

Unfortunately, the sweet kisses were interrupted by the demanding sound of my cell phone ringing, so I reluctantly broke the kiss and grabbed my phone.

"Do you have to take that? It was starting to get interesting…" Kol purred into my ear.

"Hmm…" I bit down on my bottom lip and glanced at the caller ID.

Damon was calling me?

"I should take this… Hello?"

"_We've got a problem. Alaric is searching for Klaus' body and he has the white oak stake, so I need you to distract him long enough for us to hide it,_" he said. "_But did you find out who created our bloodline?_"

I gazed questioningly at Kol and knew that he knew the answer. He grabbed my phone and held it to his ear, his trademark smirk returning to his lips.

"Do me a favor and let Alaric kill you. That should distract him enough for me to get my brother away from him," he replied.

Damon growled. "_Or I could send Alaric after you. I'm sure he wouldn't mind killing you – permanently._"

I rolled my eyes and snatched my phone back, glaring at Kol. "I think it's Klaus. I'll do what I can and lure him away from… where are you hiding the body again?"

"_A storage facility. Rebekah and Bonnie are helping me. Good luck._"

He hung up and I noticed that Kol looked displeased – probably because I'd just agreed to put myself in a lot of danger.

"You're not going to face Alaric alone."

"Well, you can't really make that decision for me, can you? And don't even think about following me. I don't want to see you die."

I attempted slipping off his lap, but he refused to let go of me. "If I'm not leaving, then you sure as hell aren't either."

"Kol…" I sighed of exasperation and wished I was in possession of a dagger right now.

He would without a doubt hate me for daggering him, but he would forgive me when I helped saving his brother from dying permanently.

"You're such a dick," I growled.

"Tell me something I don't know, love," he retorted wryly. "You don't owe these people anything. You don't need to get involved in their business."

"And what if your brother dies? Are you really that heartless?"

Kol fell silent and slowly released his iron grip on my body. I crawled off his lap and hurried upstairs to arm myself with everything I owned before I left the house.

Caroline texted me a few minutes later, telling me to come to the Grill where Alaric currently was asking Jeremy about Klaus' whereabouts.

I made sure to ingest some vervain in case Alaric attempted compelling the information out of me, too, and ventured into the Grill.

Alaric sat by the bar and spoke with Jeremy, holding the white oak stake in his hand.

If I could get the stake out of his hand and take it far away from him, he wouldn't be able to use it on any of the Originals.

"Alaric," I said calmly, taking a seat beside him. "I haven't seen much of you lately."

If I was lucky, then Alaric didn't know what I knew about his dark side and would attempt behaving normally.

"I've seen quite a lot of you, actually," he admitted, taking a swig of his drink. "You and Kol have been fooling around lately. Did you happen to bring your boyfriend with you?"

Shit.

"So this is what I have to expect if my dark side breaks through as well?" I asked, changing the topic of the conversation.

"Pretty much. You'll like it much better when it happens. I'm sure you will be less of a disappointment to your family," he replied and took another swig. "Go home, Beth. This is beyond your comprehension."

"Oh, yeah? Well, you're forgetting that I hate Klaus as much as you do. I came here to make an offer," I said, sending Jeremy a look to make sure he understood what I was doing. "I show you where Klaus is and you spare Kol."

Alaric raised a brow and noticed the look of bewilderment on Jeremy's face.

As long as he didn't suspect us to be working together towards the same goal, then we might have a chance of winning.

"You must either be a fool in love or simply a fool to betray your friends for the sake of an Original."

"With that attitude, you're not getting anything from me."

I stood up and went to walk away, but he caught my wrist and pulled me back. "Very well. I will spare Kol's life. Where is Klaus?"

"The forest," Jeremy replied for me. "Right, Beth?"

I nodded in agreement and knew then that Jeremy understood my intentions.

He spoke with Alaric about what he wanted in exchange for the information and we then took him deep into the forest, leading him farther and farther away from Klaus.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Kol following us at a safe distance and nearly groaned, because he was stupid enough to do that.

The pressure to get the stake intensified greatly, however, I couldn't merely attack Alaric and hope he would drop it.

"If this is a trap…" Alaric started.

"Then you would've been screwed by now," I interrupted. "We're nearly there."

He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and out of nowhere, I felt someone tackling me hard to the ground, growling viciously in my face.

A massive werewolf was standing on top of me and it didn't take long for me to realize that it was Liam.

"Oh, yes, I forgot to mention… Liam offered to help me out. He has this theory that Kol will attempt saving you," Alaric said calmly. "I'll call him off _after_ I've driven my stake through Klaus' heart, understood?"

I gulped nervously and watched as Jeremy was forced to leave me behind, ensuring that Damon had more time to hide Klaus before Alaric realized what we were doing.

Holding my breath, I stared up at Liam's sharp teeth and felt his saliva dripping down on me, making me feel more uncomfortable.

"Liam, what the hell are you doing? You shouldn't be helping him! He's insane! He–"

A feral and aggressive growl escaped Liam's lips, silencing me instantly.

_Right. He hates vampires. Why do I even bother trying to reason with him?_

I seriously hoped Kol wasn't stupid enough to attack Liam when Alaric was still nearby and waiting for him to make an appearance.

I couldn't warn him and tell him not to show up, because then they'd know he was hiding somewhere in the woods.

"Liam, please… I know you don't want to hurt me. Just… let me go make sure that my friend is okay. Alaric might kill him," I said calmly.

Liam stopped baring his sharp teeth, but his paws kept holding me pinned to the ground. I tried moving my hand to the weapon in my pocket, however, I couldn't reach it.

I needed to distract him for a moment – maybe knock him out.

No part of me wanted to hurt him, but he left me with no choice by acting like this and helping Alaric with his evil scheme.

"I'm sorry I broke your heart, okay? I never intended to hurt you. He's saved my life before in the past, Liam. I'm a bitch, I know. I…" I groaned. "You're a good guy, Liam. Do what you think is best. I won't force you to anything."

I expected him to ignore my pleas for mercy and that he loathed me too much to let me go, but surprisingly he backed away.

Unfortunately, it was because of a less favorable reason; Kol stood barely ten feet away from us and glared maliciously at Liam.

"Kol…" I said warningly, but he ignored me.

"You wanted to take it outside, wolf-boy? Then come and bloody get me!" Kol growled.

Oh, this was going to end badly…

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	21. The Darkness

**A/N: Helloo, thanks for reviewing and sorry about the wait. I've had a busy week.**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 21:

Liam attacked Kol without a hint of hesitation and tackled him to the ground, growling viciously as he attempted biting him.

Kol planted his fist in Liam's face and sent him flying several feet, however, what Liam lacked in strength he made up for in speed.

He swiftly ran towards Kol and tackled him to the ground, sinking his sharp teeth into Kol's shoulder and releasing the venom in his body.

Growling furiously, Kol grabbed him by his jaw and threw him on the ground, still standing and refusing to give up.

As the pair fought each other bravely and injured themselves repeatedly, I stood bewilderedly and tried figuring out what to do.

If Elijah, Caroline and Jeremy hadn't managed taking the stake from him now, we would be in serious trouble.

"Kol, stop it! We have to get away from here!" I hissed, but he wouldn't listen to me.

_Why did men have to be so damn stubborn?_ I groaned and decided to run towards them, hoping I could somehow get in between them and stop this foolish fight.

I jumped on Liam's back and held on to his fur as he savagely bit Kol's arm, but sitting on him was like being at a rodeo.

Pulling out one of my wolfsbane grenades, I placed in between his teeth in an attempt to distract him long enough for me to get Kol away.

However, he bashed me into a tree and knocked me off him, then proceeded to snarl warningly in my face.

"Liam, I know you can understand me. Please stop this and leave. We'll leave too," I said.

He opened his mouth wider apart and suddenly bit into my arm, dragging away from the scenery before Kol regained awareness of what was going on.

The pain grew worse as he tightened his grip on my arm and sunk a tooth into my bone.

It was first when we reached the waterfall that he let me go, but it was only so he could push me into the freezing cold river.

Kol appeared too late to catch me before the stream dragged me away and was attacked once again by Liam, who showed no mercy to any of us.

It was nearly too dark for me to see anything, so I frantically tried grabbing something I could hold on to while keeping my head above the water.

Everything was going so fast and the current was so strong that I had no chance to stop my head from smashing into the rocks.

I was knocked unconscious immediately and sensed my body slowly sinking deeper and deeper under the dark water.

The peace and silence was welcoming, though, in a strange way.

I wasn't quite sure if I was dead yet or still dying, because I felt like I was somewhere in between and struggling to stay alive.

I needed to stay alive and avoid breaking the barrier between me and the darkness.

Forcing myself to wake up, I slowly started regaining my consciousness and found myself almost soaring several feet under the water.

Something dark was swimming towards me and reaching out for me, but my hands wouldn't move towards it.

It was becoming harder to remain awake, because all my body wanted was to sleep, and rest until it had regained its strength.

The darkness was only mere inches from me now, and bore the face of the person I least wanted to see right now.

Vanessa.

A jolt of panic struck me when she suddenly grasped my neck and started strangling me with an unnatural strength only a ghost could possess.

I could hear her voice screaming clearly in my head as if she'd spoken it.

"_Stop fighting me! You belong to the darkness!_"

With every ounce of strength in me, I kicked, clawed and hit her furiously to get her off me before it was too late.

The lack of air turned my vision unclear and covered it with a scarlet haze that turned the water around us into blood.

It might only be a dream or imaginary fight, but it felt realistic to me and I was scared that if I lost it, the darkness would finally consume me.

Fortunately, a punch to my chest jolted me awake from the fight and brought me back to reality.

My lungs repelled the water inside them and as I coughed it all up painfully, I realized I was still in the woods, lying next to Liam's body parts.

Something or rather someone had torn his limbs off his body, which had resulted in him transforming back to his human form.

Seeing the blood on Kol's soaked clothes gave me the missing piece to my puzzle about who'd done the brutal deed.

I shivered violently from the cold temperature of the water and tried embracing myself to warm my body up, but my arm was still injured and bleeding.

Kol didn't look too well either, though, and looked almost feverish, which explained why he hadn't given me his blood.

Elijah was quickly by our side though and fed me his blood before I passed out from the blood loss.

"What happened?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"Beth's ex happened. He was working for Alaric and held Beth captive as insurance," Kol replied bitterly and groaned in pain. "The bastard bit me several times and nearly killed Beth."

Elijah frowned and checked the deep bite marks on Kol's body, expressing concern for his little brother's wellbeing.

"Did you get the stake?" I asked anxiously.

He shook his head solemnly and helped his brother standing up. I tried supporting him as well, but it was difficult when I, too, was in pain.

"You two have to get back to the mansion. Alaric is headed towards the storage facility as we speak. I've warned Rebekah, but I'm afraid something will happen to her," Elijah said.

"Brother, protect her with your life," Kol said through gritted teeth. "I will be fine. Help her and Klaus before it's too late."

"And you?" Kol gazed at me and smiled weakly.

"I have Beth. Don't think about me."

Elijah nodded understandingly and wished us good luck, then vanished into the darkness of the night.

"Follow my directions," Kol ordered and coughed hard. "Damn wolf…"

"You're such an asshole! Why didn't you listen to me?" I hissed as we walked.

Kol chuckled wryly. "I hate werewolves. He got what he deserved. No one injures my pet and gets away with it."

I rolled my eyes and followed his directions while enduring the soreness along with the banging headache I had.

About fifteen agonizing minutes later, we were standing at the front door of his family mansion and I was more or less carrying him to his bedroom.

It was first when I laid him on the bed and started undressing him that I saw how serious the damage was.

He had bite marks on his shoulder, arm, leg, torso and hip, and the venom was spreading like wildfire inside him.

"Christ, please tell me a werewolf bite doesn't harm Originals," I said, carefully removing his clothes and my own.

"Oh, don't worry. It can't kill us, but it hurts like hell for a few hours," he said hoarsely. "A kiss might quicken the process though."

I smacked his arm for making a joke out of this and searched for a clean shirt I could wear over my underwear while Kol seemed satisfied with lying nude on his bed.

"How are you feeling? You were pretty close to dying before," he said in a serious tone.

"I… I'm fine," I lied and hid the grimaces I made whenever I moved. "Just sore."

There was no need to trouble his mind with my near-death experience and meeting with Vanessa, who seemed hell-bent on consuming my mind.

"C'mere. Lie with me for a moment. We both need rest."

I reluctantly obeyed and lied down next to him on the massive king-sized bed, biting down hard on my bottom lip when Kol accidentally touched a painful spot.

"You should've stayed home. I had everything under control," I said stubbornly.

Kol snorted and burst out laughing, which only sent him into another painful coughing fit.

"You had nothing under control," he said hoarsely. "Who knows what would've happened if I hadn't been there to save your little butt."

I sighed heavily and gazed up at him, wishing I could make him feel better, because he seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"You tore Liam apart… you didn't just kill him because of what he did to me, did you?"

There'd been so much venom and disgust in his voice when he spoke to Liam that there had to be an underlying cause to his rage.

"My little brother Henrik… he was mauled by a werewolf. His death is the reason why our parents turned us into vampires. I can't stand the sight of werewolves."

Of course.

It wouldn't surprise me if seeing a werewolf constantly reminded him of the death of his youngest sibling.

I didn't want him to think about his past, so I decided to change the topic of the conversation.

"Why didn't you let me die? I would've woken up anyway."

"Because you've died enough because of me. I won't let you turn crazy like Vanessa did. I mean… who's going to tell me that I'm a sexy stud if you've gone crazy?"

I laughed softly and rested my head on his chest, trying to avoid the area where he was bitten.

"Thank you for saving me. You're starting to make up for the times you've killed me."

I gazed up at him again, noticing that he'd fallen asleep from exhaustion, so I turned the lights off, and hoped no one else would die tonight as I, too, fell asleep.

We shared a few hours of sleep together and rested in each other's arms peacefully despite our injuries and the returning flashback of Vanessa attacking me in my mind.

I was pleasantly awakened by the sound of Kol's hushed voice and caught him speaking to someone on the phone, having left the bed to avoid waking me up.

"… _Yeah, I understand. So the doppelgänger died as well?_"

Wait, what? Elena died?

I held my breath and sat up carefully, trying to overhear as much as possible.

"_How's Rebekah taking it? She and Nik are… _were_ pretty close._" He rubbed his face and pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to stay calm.

My God… had Klaus died too?

"_What? No, I didn't turn her. Klaus did, I'm sure. I was there when he did it. They should all be dead soon._"

I gasped louder than I intended to and caught Kol's attention.

So Klaus was the person, who turned Mary Porter into a vampire!

That meant that Damon, Stefan, Tyler and Caroline would be dead within a few hours if they weren't already.

"I have to go, brother. I'll talk to you in the morning." Kol hung up without saying a word and stared sadly at me.

I rushed towards him and embraced him tightly despite our injuries, blaming myself for not taking the stake from Alaric when I had the chance.

Kol had lost another brother and only had two siblings left in his life.

"Something isn't adding up…" he said, gazing at me. "Your friends should be dead. It's been over an hour since Nik died."

"You don't think he survived, do you?" I asked, frowning.

He shrugged and absentmindedly walked back to the bed. I realized that I hadn't told my parents where I was and borrowed his phone to make a quick call to Danny.

This night had been one chaotic mess, but knowing that Elena died tonight made me reconsidering becoming a vampire.

I couldn't keep up wearing this ring and hope that the darkness wouldn't break through when I could barely keep myself alive.

"Bethany," Kol spoke after a long moment of silence. "Perhaps it's best if I take you home."

I shook my head and slumped down on the bed, unable to fall back asleep knowing that a friend of mine had died.

Elena had lost so many in her life… it didn't seem fair that she should lose her life as well.

Poor Jeremy… I had to see how he was doing tomorrow morning.

"Can I stay here with you tonight?" I asked quietly.

Kol kissed the side of my head and allowed me to rest in his embrace again. I ran my fingers carefully over his nearly healed wounds and felt his body temperature returning to normal.

"You know why I love you, Beth?" Kol questioned.

"Because I can resist your charm and see through your façade?" I replied, smiling weakly.

He shook his head, chuckling softly. "Your honesty and humanity. Don't ever lose them."

Nodding, I decided to distract us both from tonight's events and spent the rest of the night kissing him since neither one of us could sleep.

His hands roamed my body and briefly brushed a sore spot, causing me to wince involuntarily.

Kol noticed my reaction and broke the sweet kisses, gazing at my body properly. "You're bruised… I thought Elijah's blood healed you."

"I'm fine. I did lose a lot of blood."

He sighed heavily and examined the bruised spot on my hip, frowning when realization struck him.

"Must be the werewolf venom. How hard did he bite you?" Kol's fangs were elongating as the memory of Liam infuriated him again.

"Deep enough for me to feel it in my bone. Why?"

He growled quietly and left the bed to fetch a glass from the kitchen.

When he returned, he filled the glass with his own blood and crushed a familiar herb in it – wolfsbane.

"Drink this. It should keep the venom from repelling my blood as well," he said.

I grimaced at the sight of his blood and hesitated, because I preferred waiting until the bruise healed on its own.

Drinking blood felt like… cheating.

"I will continue standing naked here until you drink it, love," he said, placing his hands on his hips and showing his… junk… proudly.

"Oh God, fine! Cover yourself before I'll vomit," I scoffed and took one quick swig, grimacing again of the bitter, metallic taste. "Yuck!"

"Let me take that bitter taste away…" Kol purred, crashing his lips onto mine and tackling me onto the bed.

I squealed involuntarily and giggled when I felt his lips on my neck, trailing down to my collarbone and further down to my chest.

"Perhaps I should name these two beauties…" he muttered in between the kisses.

"Oh, shut up, you creep! I hate to be a buzzkill, but–"

"Then don't be. Let go of your inhibitions, love."

As tempting as it was to say no, then I'd been through too much lately to be unselfish and address the elephant in the room – namely, whether Klaus was truly dead or not.

I allowed myself to release my inhibitions and enjoyed being able to spend time with Kol like a normal couple would do.

If it was even possible to call us a normal couple…

"God damn it, Kol. I love you so much," I sighed, never wanting to let go of him. _Had someone told me I'd end up falling for him, I would've laughed in the past… but not anymore._

* * *

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	22. My Guilty Pleasure

**A/N: Helloo, thank you for reviewing and another chapter might be up later tonight!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 22:

"_Hello, beautiful. Mind giving me another drink?_" Kol purred, smirking charmingly.

"Don't you have something else to do rather than sexually harassing me at work?" I asked teasingly as I cleared his table.

Its previous occupant was a family of five, but Kol quickly occupied the table once the family left to be closer to me on this busy Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm not sexually harassing you. I'm being a loving and caring boy- boy… boy…"

"You can't say it, can you? _Boyfriend_," I laughed softly. "C'mon, Kol. It's not that horrible being someone's boyfriend. I bet you even like being in a relationship."

Kol grimaced and shook his head. "I'm not a relationship-typey guy."

For some reason, I found that incredibly hard to believe, because every time he did something sweet to me, he seemed like a normal, caring and loving man.

Of course, my parents still thought I was single and that Liam left town, because the real version of what happened was too gruesome.

I wanted to tell them about Kol and I, though.

"I want to invite you over for dinner tonight. My parents should know whom I'm dating… They're going to find out sooner or later in a town like this one," I said as I returned with a new drink for him. "So… yes or no?"

Kol took a swig of his drink and leaned back in his seat, furrowing his brows as he looked at me with puppy eyes.

"Do I have to?" he asked.

"No, but I'll put you on a dry-spell if you don't," I replied and pecked his cheek. "See you at six then. Bring flowers for my mom."

A groan escaped his lips and he cussed under his breath, but he had to have known this would happen eventually.

I occasionally passed Kol's table and noticed that he'd downed several glasses of alcohol, which he without a doubt needed to survive dinner with my family.

He vanished half an hour before the end of my shift, which worried me slightly, because he might actually have passed out drunk somewhere.

I started becoming nervous about the whole thing and considered cancelling it.

However, Kol stood waiting by his car outside the Grill with a bouquet of lilies and wore a black suit with a matching black tie and clean, white shirt.

Seeing him look so clean, decent and gentlemanly was… well, unbelievable.

Was I dreaming this?

"Whoa… is it Opposite Day today?" I asked, stopping dead in my tracks.

"Oh, shut up. I'm trying to look like a good, normal human man," he answered, opening the door for me. "Also, me looking like a good guy should keep you from jumping on me."

I laughed softly and kissed his lips, tugging slightly on the tie. "Oh, I don't know… I do like men in suits."

Kol's eyes darkened and fixated on my lips, flashing a blazing look of desire and lust.

"Careful, Miss Dawson. You're playing with fire," he said and stepped away from me. "Now get your adorable butt inside. If we're going to Hell, then we might as well arrive on time."

Stepping into the passenger seat, Kol then closed the door and got inside as well, driving anxiously to my home while trying to calm himself down.

It was adorable seeing him so nervous for once.

It was a side of Kol I hadn't seen before, but it reminded me that there was more to Kol than what met the eye.

"Don't worry. It's gonna be fine. Just… be genuine. No façade, no attitude or false emotions. Just the real Kol," I said.

The corner of Kol's mouth twitched and he glanced at me. "What happened to you not wanting to change me?"

"I don't. I can't change what's already there." I patted his chest playfully and went to leave the car, but he pulled me back and surprised me with a passionate kiss.

My body melted in his arms and I surrendered completely to him, hating the fact that he could turn me into this blubbery mess just with a kiss.

It was tempting to drive to his home rather than enduring an awkward dinner with my family, however, meeting Kol might make them dislike vampires less.

"Your brothers are glaring at me…" Kol muttered against my lips. "I reckon it's time to go inside."

I groaned and reluctantly broke the kiss, turning around to find my brothers waiting on the porch like hawks.

"Christ. Yes," I sighed and stepped out of the car while Kol fetched the flowers. "I think you should lose the tie. It's really not your style."

Kol chuckled. "Hmm, well what do I tie you up with later then?"

A mischievous smirk formed on his lips when he saw the shocked expression on my face and he walked past me as if he hadn't said anything naughty to me.

God, I was never going to get used to dating him!

Shaking my head slightly, I followed him to the porch and watched as my brothers shook his hand both, doing one of those overly firm and manly handshakes on him.

Kol barely felt it, of course, and squeezed their hands back without breaking them.

"Why my sister wants to date a vampire, I will never know, but treat her right and we won't bother you," Mark said in a brotherly manner. "Right, Danny?"

"Yup." Danny smirked smugly and embraced me when I arrived.

"How cute. Two hunters threatening an Original…" Kol scoffed, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm more concerned about whether your sister will treat _me_ right, though."

Giggling, I pushed him playfully and went inside with him, so that he could meet my parents as well, which would be a bigger challenge to endure.

After handing the flowers to my mother, Kol shook my father's hand and did polite small talk with him while complimenting my mother's new hairstyle.

It was so strange seeing him turn into a different person when I knew the real Kol.

But I did appreciate that he was polite towards my parents and treated them with respect even when they eyed him suspiciously or showed a hint of resentment in their voice.

"You know, there's something I've been wondering ever since I first saw you and your siblings in town," Dad said during dinner, pointing his knife unintentionally at Kol. "How come I haven't seen you until recently?"

"Dad… That's hardly something you should discuss at a dinner…" I said, feeling embarrassed.

"No, it's fine. Fair question. I only recently woke up. My brother Klaus daggered me and kept me in a coffin for a century – did the same with my other siblings," Klaus replied honestly.

My father nearly choked on a piece of chicken and stared incredulously at him. "Your brother kept you in a… why?"

"Why did Klaus ever put us in coffins? Because he liked being in control," He shrugged and took a bite of a potato. "This is really great. You're an excellent cook, Gabrielle."

"Uh, thank you," Mom replied awkwardly. "You speak about Klaus in past tense… Did something happen to him?"

"Mom…" I warned.

They were threading on thin ice and I didn't want them to push Kol's buttons when he might still be mourning over the loss of another brother.

"He's dead. Alaric killed him." Kol's lips pressed together into a thin line and he drank a mouthful of the red wine.

"Can we _not_ talk about anything supernatural tonight?" I asked pleadingly. "Please? Kol's here as my boyfriend – not an Original."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it's difficult to ignore the fact that he is a vampire," Dad said.

"I have to agree – sorry, Beth," Danny said. "We are glad that you're happy, but we were raised to believe that all vampires are entirely bad."

"And some of them are," Kol admitted. "I understand that you fear me and you should. I could kill all of you if I wanted to."

An awkward and tense silence fell over the table and I kicked Kol under the table for frightening my parents.

When I said that he should be himself, I didn't mean that he should remind them of what he was capable of doing.

I grabbed the wine bottle and poured more wine into my glass, earning a weird look from everyone at the table.

"What? This dinner is ruined anyway," I grumbled, sipping the wine.

Why did I ever think introducing Kol would be a good idea?

Kol snatched the glass from me and poured half of it into his empty wine glass, smirking slightly as he said teasingly, "I think that's more than what you can handle, love."

I wasn't sure what happened in that moment, but the whole atmosphere in the room changed and I noticed small smiles on the others' lips.

"You're not the boss of me. I'm 18. In England, I would be allowed to drink this legally."

Kol chuckled. "Tell me that again when I'm carrying you to bed, because you can't walk on your own legs."

I rolled my eyes and sipped the wine I had left, continuing eating as well. "I bet you drank when you were younger than me. I mean you were a Viking for God's sake!"

"Really?" Mark inquired. "A real life Viking?"

Kol nodded. "We did drink at an early age, yes, but we were warriors and we could handle our liquor… even though they weren't wine as such. It was meodu."

I raised a brow. "What? What the hell is that?"

"Bethany, watch your language," Mom warned, smiling weakly to herself.

"Meodu, Bethany. Or mead as you would say in this time. It's… what we Vikings drank back in the day. Very strong stuff."

"What was it like back then? All never-ending parties, drunken men and women everywhere and raiding one village after another?" Mark asked laughingly.

"No, not quite. We did drink and sometimes men drank so much they died, but our family came to America to avoid the illnesses that plagued Europe. We were… settlers, in a way," he replied.

I sat watching as Mark and Kol discussed the life of a Viking, wondering how this failing dinner suddenly took a turn for the better.

They ended up speaking about Kol's life in general throughout the centuries and which historical events he'd personally experienced.

By the time it was time for desserts, most of them were too busy talking to eat their dessert actually.

That was fine with me, because that meant I could steal their dessert without them noticing it…

Growing impatient, I started moving my hand under the table and slid it slowly up the inner part of Kol's thigh, wanting to be alone with him in my bedroom before he went home.

However, he was too busy bragging that he never noticed the hint, so I excused myself and aided my mother with cleaning the dishes.

"Jeez, those men talk way too much," I said grumpily. "Even Dad is interested in Kol's life."

"Aren't you happy, though? I never thought we'd accept him," Mom said, handing me a wet but clean plate to dry. "Even I have started to like him. He's… entertaining."

I couldn't resist the urge to grin and dried the plate. "He is. But why is it that our family seems to loathe vampires so much? What happened?"

My mother sighed heavily and washed another plate silently. "It's complicated. Vanessa wasn't the reason the war against vampires started. It started a long time ago. Vanessa's death was just fuel to the fire."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I can't tell you that much about our family's past. You have to ask your grandparents… just _don't_ mention that you're dating Kol. They won't accept it."

"Oh… right. Thanks, Mom."

"_Hello, ladies… Mind if I steal Beth for a moment?_" Kol asked, joining us in the kitchen.

"No, not at all. You two deserve to be alone, but think _responsibly_," Mom said, emphasizing the last word.

My cheeks reddened, however, I decided not to comment on it and followed Kol upstairs to my bedroom, closing the door behind me.

The second the door closed, Kol pressed my back against it and crashed his lips onto mine, surprising me yet again.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and heard a moan escape my lips when his lips wandered down along the side of my neck.

"You didn't think I'd let you get away with teasing me like that, did you?" he whispered seductively, nibbling my neck.

I giggled and undid his tie as I kissed him passionately, tugging it off his neck. "What can I say? You're my guilty pleasure."

He chuckled softly and kissed me again, but much softer this time and less driven by lust.

I wanted to freeze time and stay like this with him for a few days without having to worry about anything else in my life.

"I love you, Bethany," Kol said quietly, caressing my cheek in a soothing manner. "I'm actually happy when I'm with you."

"So am I, Kol," I replied, smiling happily. "I love you too. And you did extremely well tonight."

He smirked smugly. "Of course, I did. No one can resist my charm. Perhaps I should invite you over as well for dinner."

I grimaced. "I don't know… Wouldn't it be awkward?"

"If I can face your family and endure their interrogation, then surely you can do the same. Besides, you'd only have to endure Rebekah for the most part."

How lovely (!)

"I guess I could come. I'm sorry about my parents and their questions. How are you holding up?" I asked worriedly.

Kol released my legs and set me down, stepping away to avoid my gaze.

Obviously, Klaus' death affected him whether he liked it or not and he needed to accept that it was normal to mourn.

"It's strangely silent without him there," Kol said after a while. "A bit too quiet sometimes."

"I get it. He was your brother despite everything…"

"This whole thing with the Salvatores bugs me, though. They shouldn't be alive. Either Nik fooled all of us and is still alive somehow or magic is involved. Or both."

I opened my mouth to tell my opinion when a knock on the door interrupted me.

"It's getting late, Beth," Dad said, entering. "You should say goodnight to Kol."

"Of course. I will," I said and waited until the door was closed again before I spoke. "I can ask around and see if someone knows what happened… if you want?"

Kol shook his head and returned to me, planting a soft kiss on my forehead.

"You have other things to worry about and I need to busy myself anyway," he replied. "But thank you. I'll visit your dreams tonight, so remember to take your bracelet off."

"Yes, sir." I mock-saluted him and opened the door, wishing he could spend the night here.

Kol laughed softly and followed me out to his car where we spent a few minutes kissing each other as if we weren't going to see one another for a month or more.

It was ridiculous how we acted like lovebirds, but it just felt so right.

When we finally did part, I showered and went straight to bed, feeling exhausted but satisfied after this successful dinner.

It was selfish of me to say, but since Klaus died, I hadn't had anything unfortunate happening to me and I hoped it would continue to do so.

I woke up to the startling sound of my cell phone ringing relentlessly as someone tried getting in contact with me.

When I noticed Jeremy was calling, I sighed of relief, because I had been uncertain about whether he would suffer from the consequences of Klaus' death.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and let a yawn escape my lips before answering: "Thank you for waking me up at… 7:30 on a Sunday, jackass."

"_I know it's early, but I need you to do me a favor, Beth,_" Tyler said, sounding slightly distressed. "_I'm in trouble. I need you to meet me at the quarry as soon as you can. Alone. Can you do that?_"

_Alone? Err… should I be concerned? _

"Sure… should I bring weapons?" I asked worriedly.

"_No, you won't need any weapons. Just hurry down here!_" He hung up before I could ask another question, so I reluctantly left my bed and started getting dressed.

Leaving a note for my mother to find when she woke up, I then snuck out of the house quietly and rode on my bicycle to the woods.

My instincts warned me about heading to the quarry alone, however, I trusted Tyler and knew that he wouldn't have asked for my help unless it was absolutely necessary.

Still, I wasn't a complete fool and suspected it to be a trap, so I improvised and created a couple of wooden stakes.

The hunter in me carefully scanned the area as I approached the cliff near the quarry where Tyler stood, gazing out at the vast sea.

"Tyler? What's so important that you had to drag me out here?" I asked, attempting to sound calm.

"My brother truly is a fool sometimes…" Tyler said and turned to me. "Why he insists on being with a cursed hunter, I will never know. But it does need to end before he ends up dead."

Klaus.

I should've known there was no way in Hell he would allow himself to die so easily.

Kol's suspicions seemed to have been right, which also explained none of the vampires in his bloodline had died.

"Why can't you just stay dead? You're like a damn mosquito!" I said grumpily. "So you lured me out here to kill me. Is that it?"

Tyler laughed darkly. "But that's just it. You refuse to die, because of that pesky ring… You and your family have been a nuisance for centuries."

"Yeah, mind explaining me why that is? I'm kind of sick and tired of people being so secretive."

I reached behind my back discreetly and grabbed one of the stakes hidden under my cardigan, preparing to attack if he did anything.

"You really don't know? I figured one of your family members had told you. Then again… it is a dark and disturbing secret. Allow me to enlighten you then."

He vanished suddenly and appeared behind me, snatching the stake from my hand before I could make a move.

I pulled out another hidden stake and attempted attacking him, but he disarmed me once again.

_Oh God! I am so screwed…_

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	23. Once Upon A Time

**A/N: Happy Halloween everyone!**

**On this special occasion, I will upload another chapter today, so you don't have to wait for too long!**

**Thank you for the reviews and sorry about the cliffhangers I sometimes do ;)**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 23:

"Tsk, tsk, would you really harm your dear cousin?" he asked, his eyes flashing dark yellow.

Tyler tossed it aside and narrowed his eyes.

"Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a young woman named Aida – a hunter – who fell in love with a vampire. She did everything to please him, let her feed from her even though her family despised his kind and was prepared to give up her life for him… but he did not love her in return. And when she realized this, it broke her heart. She was blinded by love and despair when it happened."

I frowned. "When what happened?"

"You see, the vampire was sadistic, cold-hearted and cared only about himself. He found her adamancy… entertaining. So he promised he would be hers and love only her, if she did the unspeakable – killed her family."

My heart dropped at the thought of being so in love with someone that you would kill your own family to be with the person.

"What happened to her?" I stepped away from him and felt my back colliding with a tree.

"When the deed had been done, she returned to the vampire – soaked in the blood of her family – and caught him in bed with another woman. She realized what she had done and…"

Tyler snapped his fingers dramatically and smirked.

"That's the day the darkness in your ring was created. She swore she would do _anything_ in her power to find the vampire and kill him."

"Who was the vampire?" A nagging feeling inside me told me I knew who it was and I didn't want it to be him.

"You're a smart girl, Beth. Surely, you already know the answer to that question."

"It can't-it can't be Kol. He would never- he would've told me."

Tyler smirked mischievously. "Are you sure about that? Kol was a different man before he met Vanessa and you. He was a true ripper."

"So that's why you want me gone? You think I will succumb to the darkness and become a threat?"

"Something like it. Or… we could strike a deal. Throw your ring in the sea and avoid the consequences of resurrection."

I fidgeted with the ring on my finger and contemplated the pros and cons of throwing it away.

The darkness wouldn't be able to consume my mind, but Klaus or someone else could kill me easily if they desired it.

"Give me one reason to trust you." I folded my arms stubbornly and glared at him.

"Kol. If you love him as much as you claim to do, then you will sacrifice your own safety to keep him alive."

_Shit. He's got a point. _

Knowing what I knew now about Kol and his past, I wasn't so sure if sacrificing my safety was the best thing to do.

However, knowing how unfortunate I'd been in the past couple of months, I also knew that it wouldn't be long before the darkness broke through the barrier.

"If I do this, what do I then get in return from you?"

"I won't have to use unnecessary violence towards your family and stand between you and Kol. Isn't that what you want deep inside?"

"Swear that you won't kill me or do anything to harm me."

Tyler rolled his eyes and placed his hand on his heart mockingly. "I swear that I will avoid harming you and leave you be."

Taking a deep breath, I slipped the ring off and gazed at it as I approached the cliff, my heart pounding wildly inside my chest.

This was it.

No more being brought back to life whenever I was in grave danger.

My God, I must truly love Kol to give up on this when he was the reason why the darkness existed inside this ring.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I clutched the ring and attempted throwing it away, but an intense force kept me from releasing it.

It was as if I was throwing away a part of myself and I… I just couldn't do it.

Kol created the hatred in my family and had driven my ancestors to insanity twice now. If my family wasn't aware of what he'd done, then they would certainly find out one day and take revenge.

I sunk down on my knees, feeling completely defeated inside and out.

"We all have to make sacrifices, Bethany. I will give you time to consider the deal if you remain silent about my return," Tyler said.

I didn't reply, but sat silently and stared at the ring in my hand, feeling so torn between wanting to do the right thing and being selfish.

After Tyler abandoned me at the quarry, I texted Kol and told him to meet me at the exact same spot, because I needed to talk with him.

I wanted to know if what Klaus said was true and that he truly was behind the hatred.

By the time, Kol discovered me by the cliff, I noticed a worried expression on his face and realized it was because I was sitting so close to the edge of the cliff.

"What are you doing out here alone?" he asked, taking a seat next to me.

"Thinking. I discovered something today… about you and your past," I replied coldly. "It's all your fault. Aida loved you and you destroyed her. Same with Vanessa."

Kol's facial expression darkened and he avoided my gaze purposely, showing no emotions on his face.

"Who told you about Aida? One of my siblings?" he asked angrily, standing up.

My heart ached as he confirmed my suspicion and I wrapped my arms around my legs, refusing to look at him as well.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you kept the truth from me. Do you even realize what your sadistic behavior did to Aida? My family?" I replied.

Kol swung at a tree in a fit of rage and nearly broke it into two pieces, shocking me, because if anyone was expected to become angry, it was me.

He cussed under his breath and leaned his head against the wrecked tree, hiding his face completely from me.

"Look at me!" I screamed angrily, standing up.

My body was trembling and I was clutching my ring so hard it hurt, but I was too focused on my anger towards Kol.

However, Kol refused to look at me, so I ripped his necklace off my neck and impulsively threw it in the sea, which caught his attention.

"How could you, Kol? I knew you'd done a lot of bad things, but this… to take advantage of a woman like that and make her slaughter her own family..." I hissed, struggling to contain my tears.

"I felt _nothing_, Beth. I loathed what I was – what I'd become because of Klaus – and did whatever I could to distract myself. I do feel guilt for what I did, but I can't change the past."

"No, but obviously you _can_ hide it from everyone. Do you even feel something for me or is that a lie, too? You've fooled two women from my family, so why should I think our relationship is real?"

"It. Is. Real." He growled and gazed down at the sea, looking pained. "But you've already made up your mind about me. Maybe it is for the better. Love… makes me weak. It's foolish and-"

He struggled to say the words and I realized that he was scared.

I'd never seen Kol showing any fear before, but seeing him so vulnerable and devastated made the rage inside me subside.

"I need time to think," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I don't know if us being together is a wise idea anymore. All I want is to kill you right now."

Vanishing, I suddenly found myself alone again, but I couldn't stand being here for a minute longer, so I turned on my heels and walked back to where I'd parked my bike.

It was first now realization hit me and I burst out crying, mourning the loss of the relationship I could've had with Kol.

Why did Klaus have to destroy everything that made me happy?

I wiped the tears off my cheeks and decided to ride to my grandparents' home even though I'd already been told the story about what happened to Aida.

I needed to hear it from them – to make sure that Klaus didn't leave out anything.

They noticed my puffy cheeks and red nose immediately and invited me inside, unaware of the reason behind my sadness.

If only they knew…

"Oh, sweetheart, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Grandma asked worriedly.

"I need to know what happened to Aida. I know vampires exist and-and please just tell me everything. I know it's crazy of me to come here, but… I _need_ to know," I replied frantically.

My grandparents shared a look and a change in their posture occurred, however, they didn't question why I was here.

"Sit down, honey. I'll make some tea and then we'll talk, I promise."

I shivered as I sat down on the couch and embraced myself, feeling sick to my stomach knowing that Kol played such a big part in my family's past.

When my grandmother returned with the tea, she sat down beside me while my grandfather occupied his old armchair.

"I assume your mother decided to tell you about their existence?" he asked solemnly.

I shrugged and remained silent, because if I admitted vampires existed in the town, they might return to hunting again and get themselves killed.

"We don't normally talk about Aida in this family. What happened to her… it was gruesome and despicable," Grandma said. "Are you sure you want to know?"

I nodded and listened carefully to every word they said, as they retold everything Klaus had told me, emphasizing how brutal and coldhearted the vampire was.

"I refuse to believe that she did those horrific things willingly," Grandpa said. "The vampire must've compelled her to do it. No hunter in their right mind would slaughter their family in the name of love."

Compulsion? Hmm, it was possible, but somehow I doubted that was the case.

"Vanessa Cole… she fell in love with the same vampire," I said, surprising them both. "Surely, she must've known what he'd done. Right?"

A growl escaped my grandfather's lips and he stormed out of the room as if I'd offended him severely.

In a way, I had.

We were discussing whether his grandmother fell in love with our family's archenemy.

"She did. It really is strange… It's like she was drawn to him the moment they laid eyes on each other. Or that's what I've been told," Grandma replied solemnly.

Perhaps history truly was repeating itself.

Aida's love and hatred for Kol were contained inside the ring, and might have been the reason why Vanessa and I found us drawn to him.

"Bethany, why are you so curious about our past? You can confide with me."

She would never understand why I'd done what I'd done or what I was planning to do next. I needed to end this cycle before it continued and turned me into hateful hunter.

"I have to go. I'm sorry. But thank you for telling me the truth," I said, hugging her tightly. "Tell Grandpa I'm sorry I reminded him of his grandmother."

She nodded understandingly and watched as I stormed out of the house.

I headed straight to the only person I knew could help me ending the cycle and hoped that by destroying the ring, I wouldn't also destroy my feelings for Kol.

My heart was beating furiously as I knocked on Bonnie's door, however, I was determined to end the hatred.

Since I couldn't fight the power the ring had over me and throw it away, I needed Bonnie to make it… well, powerless.

"You want me to remove the ring's ability to resurrect you?" Bonnie asked incredulously after I explained everything to her, excluding the parts with Kol.

"I don't want the darkness to consume me like it consumed Alaric," I replied, playing nervously with it in my hands. "I've tried throwing it away. I can't."

"I'm not sure it's possible to strip it from its magic. I can make an attempt, but…"

"Please. That's all I'm asking for. I know it's random and weird of me to come here. I've died enough times to know that the darkness _will_ break through soon."

"Okay, but be careful. It's easy for innocent people to get caught in the middle of what's going on here…" She sighed, reminding me that her mother and now best friend had become vampires.

I reluctantly handed Bonnie the ring and waited while she searched her grimoires for a spell that could undo the ring's power.

It was going to take a while, but I couldn't leave the house without the ring, so I stayed and tried helping her as much as I could.

"How are you doing, Bethany? You always seem so… lost in your thoughts lately," Bonnie said, eyeing me worriedly. "And what happened with Liam?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," I said and grimaced. "Sorry. It's just… extremely complicated."

"Does it have anything to do with Kol following you around?" She smiled weakly. "I'm not judging. I mean… he's crazy, but he's been staying away from us lately."

A mixture of embarrassment and guilt spread inside me, and I decided to change the topic of our conversation when I noticed something interesting.

"What about this spell?" I pointed at a page in one of her ancestors books and showed it to her.

"The resurrection spell. That's the spell Emily used to enchant the Gilbert rings. I could reverse it, but I can't promise it'll work on yours as a different witch enchanted it."

"It's better than nothing. Do we need anything to do the spell?"

Bonnie smiled and shook her head, closing her hand around the ring. "All I need to use is my magic. You better stand back a bit."

Nodding, I stood up and walked a few feet away from her as she started chanting ancient words, causing the candles near her to flare up wildly.

Her face contorted as if she was in pain, but she remained adamant and pushed herself to the point where her nose started to bleed.

I panicked and rushed to her before something bad occurred, but a bright flash of energy burst out from the ring and flung me hard into a wall.

I was knocked unconscious and sensed an intensely malevolent energy slipping into my body, taking over every inch of me.

The sound of Bonnie calling my name was deafened by another voice – a female voice that sounded older and more dominant with the hint of an unfamiliar accent.

"_There is only one way to end the cycle, Bethany,_" she said, twisting the darkness around my heart. "_Finish what Vanessa and I failed to do when we had the chance. Kill Kol Mikaelson._"

_Oh God, no! The spell backfired. It must've released Aida's spirit,_ I immediately thought, trying to ward her off. _I won't let you take control of me!_

She might have control of my body, but she would never be able to consume my mind without breaking the barrier first.

Furious of the fact that I wouldn't give in, Aida tightened her grip on my heart and I felt the beats slowing down.

The excruciating pain and fear of dying became too intense for me to handle, so I finally caved in and allowed her to take fully control of my body.

A haze of darkness covered my eyes as they sprung open and frightened Bonnie, who'd been trying to wake me up for minutes.

"Thank you, Miss Bennett," I said, but the words weren't mine. "You have proven to be quite helpful to me. I shall owe you a favor. Now do tell me… where does one find Kol Mikaelson?"

I raised myself from the floor and picked up the resurrection ring, slipping it back on my finger while Bonnie tried figuring out what to say.

"You can't kill Kol. He's an Original," she said.

"I am fully aware of that, but do not fret for my safety. These vampires have caused us enough pain."

"I don't know where he is, but you have to leave Beth's body. You need to move on. Taking revenge won't solve anything."

I smirked darkly and laughed. "Oh, that is where you are wrong, witch. I will hunt him down on my own then."

Turning on my heels, I headed out once again and started walking back into town…

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**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	24. Denial

**A/N: Hellooo! As promised - here's another chapter, which I'm actually uploading at midnight _ **

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 24:

_This is ridiculous,_ I told Aida in my mind. _Even with my body, you won't be able to stop him._

Aida laughed-or well, _I_ laughed maniacally in response as I walked through the streets of Mystic Falls, searching for one particular Original.

Holding back vital information from Aida was like touching a hot plate.

The more she heated it up, the more difficult it became for me to stay strong and to hide Kol's possible whereabouts.

_I will never understand the pain you suffered, but you can't change the past. We all make mista-_

"You cannot and will not be able to comprehend my need for revenge. You foolishly fell in love with him as I did and cannot see the truth of what he is… the Devil himself."

Her voice was laced with venom and so cold that I suspected she was incapable of feeling anything but the hatred that had consumed her.

I stopped dead in my tracks when we reached the Grill and stepped inside, hoping that Kol wasn't anywhere nearby.

Unfortunately, he sat at the bar and drowned his sorrows with alcohol much to Aida's joy, because a drunk Original was easier to take down than a sober one.

_What exactly is your plan? You're just going to approach him and drive a wooden stake in his heart?_

"No, I have other plans with him that involves an unpleasant amount of pain," Aida replied. "I do have to lure him away from this public place, though."

She unbuttoned the front of my blouse to reveal more of my cleavage and pulled my hair out of the ponytail it was in before she approached him.

_How classy of you. Kol isn't stupid. He's going to know something's up,_ I commented mentally.

Snorting, I flipped my hair flirtatiously and sat down on the vacant chair next to Kol, catching his immediate attention.

"Beth…" he started, gazing at me.

I noticed that his clothes were soaked and dirty, which led me to wonder if he jumped into the sea to get my necklace back.

He definitely found the necklace one way or another and now clutched it in his palm.

_No sane man would jump in the sea just to get a necklace back,_ I thought. _He really loves me._

"I cannot-_can't_ hate you," I said, placing my hand on his thigh. "I love you, Kol. Can we please forget and move on?"

Kol seemed astonished by my sudden change of heart, but also relieved and with the alcohol in his system, I could tell that he didn't bother questioning my intentions.

"I love you, too, Beth. I mean it. I feel alive with you… It's different when we're together. I know it's cliché, but I'm serious. I've never been this happy before," he said.

His words were like daggers in Aida's heart and fuelled the blazing hatred she felt towards him.

"You make me happy, too. Come… we need to speak somewhere private."

Downing the last of his drink, he stood up and followed me out of the Grill.

The mere touch of his hand on my elbow caused Aida to pull away instinctively from him and earned a raised eyebrow from Kol.

I hoped he would become suspicious of her as we walked out to the alley behind the Grill before it was too late.

When we reached the alley, he pushed me against the nearest wall and crashed his lips against mine, but Aida refused to kiss him back.

I reached around my back and grabbed a piece of metal that stood up against the wall near me, clutching it tightly.

"If I could apologize to Aida for what I did… the way I treated her… I would," Kol said, looking so guilty. "I don't apologize to people normally, but… I'm sorry about what happened to her and what I made her do."

Shocked by Kol's sudden decision to apologize, I dropped the iron pipe and gazed into his eyes willingly, which he noticed.

Refusing to give up on what she started, Aida made me grab the pipe and banged Kol hard over his head with it.

He wasn't down yet, though, and noticed the change in my eyes – the burning hatred.

"You deserve to die, you devil!" I growled, swinging the pipe at him again.

Kol dodged the attack and pulled on the pipe to get me close to him, then pinned me against the wall again with my hands above my head.

"Possessing a descendant? Isn't that a little over the top?" Kol asked, glaring at me. "Let Beth have her body back or–"

"Or what? You will kill me? You would hurt your dear Bethany?" I retorted, smirking smugly.

Growling, Kol decided to knock me unconscious instead and carried me somewhere less public, appearing concerned for my wellbeing.

I was half-awake as he carried me into the Mikaelson Family Mansion and unfortunately, Aida was still controlling me.

Meeting Klaus in the living room, I saw a look of anger appear on Kol's face.

"Welcome back from the dead, brother," he said. "I should've known you were the one, who told Beth the truth."

"She wanted the truth and I helped her. Told her to make a choice – did she want you or lose the ring. I don't know what happened to her after that," Klaus replied. "But you have to kill her or I will. That woman won't stop until we're dead."

I attempted pulling myself free from his grip, but I was still groggy and lightheaded from the blow to my head.

"Frankly, I don't care what you think, Nik. She's not your problem. It's mine. I'm going to fix her with or without your help!" Kol hissed, storming out of the room and into his bedroom.

Since I was beginning to regain my strength, he tied me to a chair and stripped me of my jewelries, allowing him to compel me once the vervain was out of my system.

He paced back and forth in the room in the first couple of minutes, as if he wasn't sure of what to do in this situation and eventually stopped in front of me.

"First Vanessa and now Beth? Haven't I suffered enough, Aida?" Kol asked, baring his fangs.

"I killed my family for you… slit the throat of my younger siblings. We will never be even," I replied coldly. "Not unless you kill yourself and your own family."

"I told you I wasn't in love with you and you refused to give up. I never thought you'd actually do it!"

"Obviously, I did do it. That is how much I loved you and shattered my heart when you slept with that whore!"

Kol fell silent and avoided my penetrating glare, shifting his eyes to the necklace in his hand. "You want to know why I slept with that woman? I wanted to show you that I wasn't interested. You refused to give up, so I slept with her on purpose and ensured you saw it."

I shook my head and snorted. "That is a lie! You pretended to love me!"

"No… I didn't. I never did. You saw what you wanted to see, Aida. You wanted to be loved and see the world. You saw me as the key to your goals."

Each and every word he said was like a dagger in Aida's heart and fuelled the rage further until it was nearly too painful for her to remain in my body.

"You hated your family and your life. I didn't make you kill your family. You did that willingly."

Kol placed his hands on my arms and stared deep into my eyes, growling. "Admit it! Stop being in denial and accept the bloody truth!"

"Stop lying to me!" I screamed back, flashing my teeth and struggling against the ropes.

_He's telling the truth, Aida,_ I told her in my mind. _I can tell when he's lying and right now he's being nothing but honest to you._

"Shut up, you little whore!" I hissed at myself. "Why does he love you and not me? Why Vanessa and not me? What did I do wrong?"

_You didn't care about him… You cared about yourself and what you wanted._

Aida fell completely silent and I could sense her rage shifting from Kol to me instead.

Pulling on the ropes until my right hand broke, I managed getting free and freed my other hand before attacking Kol.

Somehow, during the struggle, the chair broke and my body was freed completely, but Aida didn't go after Kol.

I grabbed a letter opener from his desk and held the sharp blade dangerously close to my neck.

"Aida, don't do it!" Kol growled.

"Why not? What makes her so special that _she_ gets to be loved and I do not?" I cried, taking off my resurrection ring.

"Would it make a difference if I told you?"

"Tell me she is just a pet to you and nothing more! Tell me!" Kol couldn't tell it, though, and she knew it deep inside. "Fine, I will take her with me to the grave and you will be alone again!"

Pressing the blade to my throat, I started slitting it and cut a deep wound that caused blood to soak my clothes.

Kol quickly rushed to my body and instinctively bit down into his wrist before holding the blood to my pale lips.

"Bethany, drink! _Bloody hell, drink!_" he shouted pleadingly.

Aida, weakened by her own actions, fought to push his wrist away while I drank as much as I could get into my mouth, making it a struggle for me to survive.

During the struggle inside me, I lost consciousness and fell into a deep slumber – one that reminded me of the times when I died.

However, this time neither the darkness nor Vanessa haunted my mind.

There was just complete and utter silence, and I welcomed it with open arms, because anything besides the darkness and hatred was comforting.

Fortunately, the darkness was temporary and I awoke on Kol's bed several hours later, feeling sore all over and weak.

My blood soaked clothes had vanished and been replaced with one of Kol's shirts, but the ring was nowhere to be seen.

I sat up carefully and realized that something had changed…

I had changed.

The darkness was no longer present and Aida seemed to have left my body, which I hoped was a permanent thing, because I couldn't bear being possessed by her again.

Still, it was strange not sensing her or Vanessa anymore.

I felt like I'd lost a part of myself and no longer knew who I was.

Lying down again, I closed my eyes to get some rest, however, Rebekah suddenly knocked on the door and entered with some new clothes.

"Oh, lovely. You're alive. My brother will be pleased to hear that," she said indifferently and placed the clothes on the bed. "You can borrow these of me. Kol is out feeding, because he gave you a lot of his blood."

"Oh… thank you," I said awkwardly. "How long was I out?"

"A day or two. Kol forced Bonnie to undo whatever she did to you and stripped your resurrection ring of its power."

I sighed of relief and instinctively touched my neck, feeling the necklace back on its place.

"Don't break my brother's heart, Bethany. You don't want to see Kol when he's heartbroken. He's worse than when Klaus throws a tantrum," Rebekah warned before leaving.

The mentioning of Klaus made me grimace and I decided to lock the door in case he was in the mansion as well.

Finding my cell phone, I dialed my mother's number and checked in with her straight away to let her known that I was okay.

Surprisingly, she knew what had occurred and didn't scold me for spending the night at Kol's.

I guessed Kol confessed to her and told her what the ring did to me, because I couldn't see why else she would allow me to spend the night here.

Setting the clothes aside, I tried catching a few hours of sleep and hoped Kol would return with food, because I refused to go out to Klaus.

He'd most likely drink me dry or 'accidentally' kill me.

Sadly, this meant that I was awakened by the sound of my stomach growling loudly a couple of hours later.

I was famished and there was still no sight of Kol anywhere.

So I attempted calling him instead and heard a phone vibrating on a table Kol's secret library. I frowned and ventured inside, finding Kol seated in one of the chairs.

Several empty blood bags lied on the table beside him and the scent of burnt paper hung in the air, deriving from the fireplace where the remains of Vanessa's journals were.

"How long have you been here?" I asked quietly.

"A few hours. I didn't want to wake you up," he replied solemnly. "How are you feeling?"

"Famished, but well. I'm not possessed anymore if that's what you're asking."

He nodded understandingly and stood up to walk past me, but I grabbed his wrist and stopped him from leaving.

"I'm sorry I doubted you. But why didn't you tell me Aida was in denial?"

"Would it have made a difference? I was cold-hearted and cruel back then. I still am. I didn't care about what happened to Aida."

I intertwined my fingers with his, but he pulled his hand to himself and started picking up the empty blood bags.

"I will get you something to eat, so sit down and relax or get dressed."

_What? Where was this cold façade coming from?_

Leaving the room before I could stop him, I decided to pick one of his suggestions and slumped down on the couch, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

Kol returned ten minutes later with homemade pizza, which made me smile widely, because I never expected him to make one.

He sat in the armchair while I ate and watched me silently, too lost in his thoughts to say anything for once – not even a smartass comment about me not wearing pants.

Perhaps I wasn't the only one who'd changed...

* * *

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